HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A driver is in custody after a pursuit late Saturday ended in a crash in west Harris County, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

At approximately 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Harris County deputies were dispatched to an At Home store location near the intersection of the Katy Freeway and Greenhouse Road in west Houston in response to reports of a “parking lot takeover,” officials said.

On arrival, units observed vehicles doing burnouts and donuts in the parking lot, which caused “a public safety issues for the customers, because there were still customers in the business,” said Lt. Paul Bruce with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

After one of the suspect vehicles almost hit a marked patrol car, the deputy in the marked patrol car attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The suspects failed to pull over and the deputy initiated a pursuit. The Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the pursuit by helicopter, tracking the suspect until he struck a light pole and “crashed out” near the intersection of Kingsland Boulevard and Houghton Road, officials said.

The suspect was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries and is expected to survive.

Deputies said the individual faces several charges.

Bruce said he’s seen an increase in illegal street racing and “parking lot takeovers” amid the ongoing pandemic.

“I guess people don’t have anything really to do, said Bruce. “You know, with the movies, the bars being shut down, we’ve had an influx of parking lot takeovers where they’re burning out, doing donuts in the parking lot and then when they leave the parking lots they get on the roadways and violate the traffic codes as well there, running red lights and doing some not so safe things.”

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Briana Zamora-Nipper

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team as a community associate producer in 2019. During her time in H-Town, she’s covered everything from fancy Houston homes to tropical storms. Previously, she worked at Austin Monthly Magazine and KAGS TV, where she earned a Regional Edward R. Murrow award for her work as a digital producer.