Man Jumps from Garage After 1-Hr Chase

HOUSTON - A suspect who led Houston Police on an hour-long chase Monday afternoon was caught after he jumped from the upper level of a hotel parking garage.

The chase led police from southwest into northwest Houston as the suspect continuously made U-turns, took to sidewalks, and exited in the wrong direction a freeway entrance ramp. The suspects white mini-van suffered several minor collisions with other drivers and police along the way.

It started just after 1 p.m. when undercover police became alarmed by two suspects looking through windows of cars in the 9800 block of Bellaire, an area plagued by a high rate of vehicle burglaries, police said.

The officers followed the suspects and attempted to pull them over on Wilcrest, but the driver refused to stop, police said. During the first few minutes of the chase, the passenger in the vehicle bailed out of the car and was arrested.

The driver, however, drove into Rosenberg at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour before making a U-turn and heading back into Houston and getting on the Beltway.

Eventually the suspect exited the tollway and drove on surface roads in the Greenspoint area - leading officers through parking lots and over medians.

Several attempts to stop the van with spike strips failed.

The chase ended an hour after it started when the driver entered a multi-level parking garage at a Hilton hotel. He ditched his vehicle on the second level and ran to the upper floor to find an escape.
He was arrested after jumping to a lower ledge and falling two stories to the concrete below. Police placed the man in handcuffs and waited for medical treatment to arrive.

The suspect was conscious but had suffered an ankle injury.
Police said they found several items in the minivan they believe were stolen.