A woman was shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting on Houston's northeast side early Tuesday, touching off a police chase that stretched across the city and ended with suspects crashing into a Houston police cruiser on I-45. Three people are now in custody, while a fourth suspect remains unaccounted for.
According to ABC13 Houston, Houston police said the shooting began just before 1 a.m. Tuesday on Wileyvale Road, where the woman was struck in the leg during the drive-by. Investigators say Flock cameras then helped them track the suspect vehicle from the northeast side down into Third Ward.
Chase Stretched From Third Ward to Near Downtown
From Third Ward, the suspects allegedly led officers on a chase that pushed north toward downtown, ending near the interchange of I-10 and I-45, per the same report. That's where the suspects crashed into an HPD unit, which brought the pursuit to a halt.
The officers inside that cruiser were not hurt, HPD said. After the collision, the suspects reportedly ran across the freeway and scattered into a nearby neighborhood, forcing officers to track them down on foot. Three of the four suspects were caught; what happened to the fourth has not been disclosed.
Flock Cameras Played Key Role in Tracking Suspects
The chase's starting point — Flock camera footage — comes as the technology's reach across the region draws mixed reactions. Some Houston-area residents have expressed growing concerns about the expansion of Flock cameras, according to Houston Public Media, even as police continue to lean on the network to track suspects across the city in real time.
This is not the first time a Third Ward-area shooting has ended with multiple suspects fleeing on foot after a chase. In a January 2024 case on Alabama Street, at least three suspects were arrested after police said shots were fired and one man was injured; four suspects bailed out of their vehicle and ran after a short pursuit, with three ultimately caught and three guns recovered, the outlet's earlier report noted. It is not known whether that case is connected to Tuesday's shooting.
Houston has also seen other drive-by shootings tied to its freeway corridors in recent months. A 19-year-old was critically injured in a drive-by shooting on I-45 in August, according to Click2Houston, though no link between that case and Tuesday's chase has been established.
Details on the identities and charges facing the three suspects now in custody have not been released, and the condition of the woman shot on Wileyvale Road beyond her leg injury has not been disclosed. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
