Houston-area family locates their stolen truck; gets in car chase, shootout with driver
HUMBLE, Texas - Two Houston-area family members are answering questions from police after locating their recently stolen pickup truck, following and chasing down the driver, and getting in a shootout with the thief outside the Humble police station.
"He took our truck," said Brayan Melera in an FOX 26 exclusive interview. "We chased him down. We called the cops, but we didn’t see them. So, we had to take action on our own."
According to Melera, their family’s white Dodge pickup truck was stolen Tuesday morning from outside a washateria in the Aldine area.
Within just two hours of driving around and looking, Melera and his father found their stolen truck very close to where it was taken from. That’s when, Melera says, they called police and started following it.
"We needed the truck back," said Melera. "That’s our work truck [that] we use every day. We needed it."
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Cellphone video captured the dramatic chase from the Aldine area to Humble. Melera says it lasted for about 30 or 45 minutes.
"We were trying to get [the thief] to stop," said Melera. "We decided to shoot at the tires."
A nearby business along Main Street and Bender Avenue shared surveillance video from the end of the chase. The truck crashing right next to the Humble Police Station. Fortunately, no one was injured.
"We saw the cops at that point," said Melera. "We started honking, trying to make it obvious for them to see. Next thing you know, I have like 10 cops right behind me, pointing a gun at me trying to shoot at me."
"All of the sudden, I hear a gunshot," said Swadi Suzana, a nearby business worker. "I look up. The white truck, the black car, and the Chevy just stop. They tried to run, but the police came out. They caught them."
Police urge people to call 911 and to avoid taking the law into your own hands.
The truck thief was arrested outside Humble PD. Authorities are still investigating to determine if Melera and/or his father will face any charges.
"It’s messed up how people don’t know how much things cost, and they take sh*^," said Melera.