LEAGUE CITY, Texas – A man who robbed a Dickinson bank sparked a 20-mile chase involving numerous agencies, which ended with the suspect’s death after officers cornered him on a southeast Houston dead-end street, authorities said.
The Houston, Dickinson, and League City police departments were among those participating in the chase, which took place mostly on the incoming Gulf Freeway during peak rush hour on Tuesday afternoon. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office also took part.
Dickinson police responded to a robbery at the PNC Bank on the 3500 block of Gulf Freeway at 4:49 p.m. They claimed the guy entered the bank wearing a mask, went to the teller area, and stole an unknown amount of cash before fleeing in a blue vehicle.
Two minutes later, League City police claimed officers overheard radio chatter concerning the heist and learned about a blue Chrysler van. At around 5 p.m., officers discovered the suspect on the Gulf Freeway near East Medical Center in Webster and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
According to the Houston Police Department, the suspect hit a stationary item and a civilian’s vehicle during the chase, then received a flat tire and continued driving before colliding with a League City police vehicle. HPD stated that no one was injured.
HPD stated its officers became engaged in the final 15 minutes of the pursuit, which led to the city’s South Side and the 4300 block of Alconbury off Old Spanish Trail.
According to Houston police, the suspect was unaware he was on a dead-end street when authorities encircled him. When the suspect exited the vehicle, he was holding a weapon, according to HPD, and an officer shot him at least once. However, authorities reported that at about the same time, the suspect placed the gun to his head and fired the trigger. The suspect, whom police have yet to identify, died on the scene.
“Regardless of what he may or may not have been involved in, he had a family who cared about him, and we reach out to them and wish them whatever peace and closure they can have,” Wyatt Martin, the HPD assistant chief, told reporters.