An off-duty Houston police officer is now facing criminal charges after Harris County deputies say they caught him drag racing on the Grand Parkway with an 8-year-old in the back seat. Authorities allege the car hit speeds above 130 miles per hour before deputies pulled it over and took the officer into custody at the scene on Thursday. The Houston Police Department says the officer has been relieved of duty while both a criminal investigation and an internal review move forward.
Court records reviewed by ABC13 identify the officer as Giovoinni-Quinn Gumataotao. The documents list a felony charge of child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge for drag racing. Records state he posted bond after the arrest and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
The Harris County deputy who stopped the vehicle reported seeing two cars racing side by side, heading south on State Highway 99, the Grand Parkway, near Clay Road. The deputy clocked Gumataotao’s vehicle between 120 and 130 miles per hour, according to Click2Houston. Deputies said he was driving his personal car, and that a family member later arrived to pick up the child.
HPD confirmed to the station that Gumataotao has been with the department since January 2024 and that he has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the case. For now, he is on the defendant’s side of the courtroom he would normally help secure.
Charges and legal context
Racing on public roads is outlawed under Texas law and is typically prosecuted under the state’s racing statute. Depending on the circumstances, penalties can range from a Class B misdemeanor to felony charges if someone is hurt or if the defendant has prior racing convictions. Details are laid out in Texas Transportation Code Sec. 545.420.
Allegations of endangering a child fall under the Penal Code’s abandoning or endangering statute. That law allows for state jail or higher-level felony penalties depending on the risk and circumstances involved. The relevant language appears in Texas Penal Code Sec. 22.041, which is often used in cases like this.
What’s next
Court records show Gumataotao posted bond and is scheduled to appear in Harris County court on Tuesday, according to ABC13. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office handled the arrest, and HPD has said it will cooperate with investigators as the criminal case and internal review continue. This story will be updated as new court filings or official departmental statements are released.
