CHANNELVIEW, Texas — Authorities issued a Blue Alert for a 25-year-old man accused of shooting a Harris County sheriff’s deputy Wednesday night and fleeing in a patrol car.
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Chase Layne Patin. The deputy was shot while responding to a family disturbance east of Houston, authorities said.
The deputy was struck in the lower half of his body and was hospitalized in fair condition, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference Wednesday night.
The deputy’s name and years of service were not released.
The shooting happened after the deputy was called to the 1100 block of Bayou Drive around 6:30 p.m., Gonzalez said. The patrol car was found a short time later near East Freeway and Dell Dale Street, not far from the scene.
“Anytime somebody shoots a deputy or peace officer, we consider that person to be very dangerous and capable of harming somebody else as they flee,” Gonzalez said. “We want to make sure we apprehend this person as quickly and safely as possible.”
Deputies from the sheriff’s office and several other agencies set up a search perimeter around both locations, which Gonzalez said could shift as officers cleared areas.
He asked residents to report anything unusual, including someone hiding in a yard or dogs barking, and to avoid the area around Bayou Drive and Dell Dale Street near the East Freeway.
Patin is described as a white man about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and about 125 pounds. Gonzalez said he was last seen wearing a black cap, black shorts and a gray T-shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone who sees Patin should call 911.