Houston police chase suspect by car, scooter, on foot, into bayou

A catalytic-converter theft probe turned into a citywide pursuit on Thursday when a suspect fled Houston police in a car, then on an electric scooter, then on foot, and finally by jumping into Little White Oak Bayou before officers took him into custody.

Houston police said multiple units joined the hunt, including Downtown, Central, Patrol Support, K-9 and aerial support, as officers tried to cut off the suspect after the theft-related investigation began. Police have not yet released the suspect’s identity or the exact charges.

The chase is a vivid example of how a property-crime call can escalate across Houston’s streets, trails and waterways when officers close in. It also points back to a theft problem that has stayed stubbornly active in Harris County, where catalytic converters remain valuable enough on the black market to keep drawing repeat attention from auto thieves.

Texas lawmakers responded to the broader pattern with Senate Bill 224, the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act, which took effect on July 1, 2023. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the law raised illegally obtaining a catalytic converter to a felony and increased penalties when a firearm is used. It also requires metal recycling entities to keep converter records and maintain a fixed location, a response aimed at making the illegal trade harder to move and harder to hide.

The law carries the name of Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Darren Almendarez, a 23-year veteran assigned to the auto theft division. Almendarez was killed on March 31, 2022, while trying to stop a catalytic-converter theft on his own truck in north Harris County, a case that helped push the issue into the front of public-safety debate.

The theft risk has not disappeared. Houston police auto theft investigators have said the crime tends to follow precious-metal prices, and thieves often target places with lots of parked vehicles, especially larger trucks and SUVs. That makes shopping centers, apartment lots and other dense parking areas a continuing weak point for drivers across the region.

Little White Oak Bayou, where the suspect tried to disappear, runs through the White Oak Bayou watershed, which drains about 111 square miles across central to northwest Harris County. The Harris County Flood Control District says major floods occur somewhere in the county about every two years, a reminder that in Houston, a foot pursuit into a bayou is as dangerous as it is unusual.