Last month, a Houston police sergeant and a suspect were both hospitalized following a perilous confrontation near the Galleria, captured on recently released bodycam footage. The video, which contains distressing content, depicts Sergeant R. Marquez evading being crushed as a vehicle driven by suspect Maxie Ray Whitaker collides into another car, as reported by KHOU 11.
The confrontation occurred on May 25 on Westheimer Road. Whitaker, who had been linked to a recent jugging incident, tried to skirt the police and ended up driving into oncoming traffic. As Sergeant Marquez was pinned between two vehicles, he fired multiple shots at Whitaker. In a statement obtained by Click2Houston, police stated they were working extra security jobs when they tried to apprehend Whitaker who refused to stop his vehicle, leading to the dangerous escalation.
Originally charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer, Whitaker's charges were dismissed yesterday, with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office indicating they plan to file charges in a separate case at a later date. “This was a decision made in conjunction with the Houston Police Department. We reserve the right to re-file charges at any time,” a spokesperson for the office told KHOU 11 in an email.
The bodycam video released by HPD also shows the aftermath, with Marquez and other officers applying a tourniquet to Whitaker's leg to stem the bleeding. “Sir, you shot me for nothing!” Whitaker said, lying on the ground, to which Marquez responded with expletives, expressing his near-fatal encounter. "I got kids, man," Whitaker replied, as noted by KHOU 11. Both Whitaker and Marquez were taken to the hospital, with Marquez being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and Whitaker remaining in critical condition.
