Using a gun to assault someone is child’s play by now. Everyone’s done it. A pitchfork? Now that’s edgier and more interesting. A man in Houston kicked off a chase that stretched about 100 miles up Interstate 45 on Monday morning. But he wasn’t just a mere suspect. He was one who had attempted an assault with a pitchfork. Luckily he had put it away by the time he ended up in Leon County, Texas. That’s when a state trooper shot the man. He was was taken into custody and airlifted to a hospital in critical condition. Now, the pitchfork-wielding escapee is under investigation.
It began around 7 a.m., according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies got multiple 911 calls about a reckless driver. They tracked down a man in Spring who said he’d just been carjacked. He told deputies he was stuck in heavy traffic on I-45 when a stranger holding a pitchfork climbed into the bed of his Ford F-150. The man said the stranger broke through the rear window, forced his way into the cab, and pushed him out before driving off.
From there, the stolen truck headed north. Police said the man was wanted for both aggravated assault in Harris County and aggravated robbery in Walker County. With that in mind, the lengthy pursuit crossed county lines, passing through Madison County before reaching Leon County. By then, multiple agencies were involved in the chase.
The chase came to a head at mile marker 163 on I-45 in Leon County. Video showed the suspect’s truck ramming a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. Moments later, DPS said, law enforcement shot the man. He survived. His injuries were serious enough to require an airlift to a hospital.
A Chase That Crossed Four Counties
The whole thing stretched roughly 100 miles from start to finish. It started in the Houston area, in Harris County, where the carjacking and an alleged aggravated assault took place. As the truck moved north up I-45, the list of accusations grew. Authorities added an aggravated robbery in Walker County. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office said it got word of the pursuit as it came in from Madison County.
Video from the scene showed the suspect’s truck ramming a DPS trooper before officers opened fire to get him to stop. The man was struck, taken into custody, and flown to a hospital in critical condition. Because a trooper fired the shots, the case went to the Texas Rangers, who typically investigate these shootings in Texas.
What Happened to the Suspect?
The pitchfork-wielding man’s condition was last reported as critical. With accusations in at least two counties, with aggravated assault in Harris County and aggravated robbery in Walker County, and more, he’ll have plenty of charges to face once he’s able. That tends to happen when you go after people with a three-pronged weapon.
The Texas Rangers investigation will run separately from the suspect’s criminal case, though.. In Texas, an outside agency typically reviews shootings by officers, gathering evidence, video, and witness accounts before any findings are released. Those reviews often take weeks or months. Until then, officials have shared only the broad outline of what happened. We’ll have a clearer picture after more of the investigation is underway.
The biggest question right now is this: where do you think he got that pitchfork?