Suspect Arrested Following Officer-Involved Shooting Incident on Beltway 8

A suspect, identified as Robert Johnson, 30, has been arrested following an incident where Houston Police Department officers discharged their weapons at 9475 West Sam Houston Parkway South service road (Beltway 8) around 7:20 a.m. on Wednesday (May 22). Johnson faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession with intent to deliver marijuana. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest on foot.

The officers involved, Sergeant M. Ham and Officer M. Gonzalez from the Traffic Enforcement Division, were unharmed in the incident. Both officers have been serving since April 2008 and December 2001, respectively.

The events unfolded when officers located a vehicle involved in a previous pursuit that had been terminated due to public safety concerns. Upon locating the vehicle at an apartment complex on Wednesday, officers attempted to seize it. Johnson, the driver, exited the vehicle with his 5-year-old daughter but refused to comply with officers’ commands to stop reaching into the vehicle’s center console.

A struggle ensued, during which Sergeant Ham’s weapon discharged, though no one was injured. Officer Gonzalez, fearing for her colleague’s safety, discharged her weapon at Johnson, who fled the scene on foot. Despite momentarily losing sight of him, additional officers, aided by an HPD Air Support helicopter, located and apprehended Johnson without further incident.

The incident is under investigation by the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Internal Affairs Division, standard procedure for officer-involved shootings within Houston city limits.