Harris County suspect killed after allegedly kidnapping ex-wife and toddler, leading authorities on chase
A man who kidnapped his ex-wife and toddler at gunpoint in Harris County was shot to death after leading authorities on a chase through multiple counties, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says.
The chase came to an end in Chambers County shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday with the woman and child uninjured, but authorities say the incident began with a kidnapping three hours before in north Harris County.
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According to Sheriff Gonzalez, a woman had been staying at her mother’s house in north Harris County after recently leaving her husband, due to a long history of abuse. The suspect had reportedly remained threatening toward her.
"I was terrified because they were trying to get him to stop. We were listening on the phone when she was screaming and everything, crying," says Maria Reyes, whose daughter and grandson were kidnapped.
Reyes says she felt helpless around 6 a.m. when she awoke to yelling and gunshots.
"My daughter was screaming don't come in. Don't come in, like that, and then a shot. We heard a shot. That's when I jumped out of the bed going crazy, what's going on."
Around 6 a.m., the sheriff says the ex-wife’s mother called 911 to report that her daughter’s ex-husband had come to the house with a gun, forced his way in, fired shots and then took his ex-wife and 3-year-old child at gunpoint.
"It was scary," says Reyes.
"Very scary situation, almost something out of a movie," says Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. It's certainly something terrifying unfolding anytime the sheriff describes it that way. "It's a miracle he didn't shoot the child and the female," Sheriff Gonzalez adds.
The sheriff’s office put out a notice that they were searching for the suspect, and deputies with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office ended up spotting him in their county.
They attempted to stop him, but a chase ensued. It lasted for about 45 minutes at speeds above 100 miles per hour, and several agencies joined in. During the pursuit, the suspect would occasionally speak with investigators.
"Oh, pretty scary. When I talked to her on the phone when he's driving like crazy, she's screaming and crying. I was trying to get him to stop," says the abducted woman's stepfather, Arturo Escobedo.
"When Sheriff Gonzalez's investigators were talking with him, he is talking about doing suicide by police, so there are all kinds of things. We obviously know he's a desperate man. We know he had already fired shots," says Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne.
According to Hawthorne, authorities were able to gather information that the suspect may have been heading to a home in Chambers County where two other children lived.
Before they could reach the subdivision, Sheriff Hawthorne says deputies blocked off the road at Plantation Drive and FM 565, forcing the suspect to come to stop.
Sheriff Hawthorne says two snipers with the CCSO special response team then fired shots, and the suspect was killed.
"We did not want him to get to the house because there were two more children that he allegedly may have been coming to get," said Hawthorne.
The woman and child were not injured, authorities say. The other two children from the Chambers County home were reportedly at school and were also unharmed.
Sheriff Gonzalez is reminding us, leaving an abusive relationship is considered the most dangerous time and escaping should be done with the help of a professional.
"Laying out a safety plan is very critical. The Houston Area Women's Center will help you do that. They have a 24-hour hotline," says Sheriff Gonzalez who also has this message for anyone who may be considering solving a relationship dispute with violence. "It's against the law. Seek help. Seek counseling. Seek help yourself. These are never going to end well. Either you'll end up dead or you'll end up hurting people and traumatizing families for generations to come unnecessarily, all for emotions that haven't been dealt with for unhealed trauma and other things that have gone on in one's life. Sometimes, abusers learn to be abusers, perhaps by the home situation they grew up in. It's ok to be broken and hurt, but seek help, seek counseling, seek support," says Gonzalez.
If you're a victim of abuse or if you need help to stop being abusive, reach out to the Houston Area Women's Center at hawc.org or call (346) 295-8994 or contact HAWC's Domestic Violence 24/7 Hotline at (713) 528-2121 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-7233.
The Chambers County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the kidnapping, officials say.