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On Houston’s southeast side, a high-speed police pursuit reached a dramatic conclusion as officers were forced to dive into Sims Bayou to apprehend a suspect and rescue a small child who was found in the backseat of the fleeing vehicle.
Fortunately, the child, who is under 2 years old, emerged unharmed from the incident. Initially unaware of the toddler’s presence, law enforcement officers discovered the child after the Mini Cooper plunged into the bayou.
The chase began when Houston police officers attempted to stop the driver in the 10400 block of Randolph Street around 11:30 p.m. Despite their efforts, the driver refused to comply, initiating the pursuit. The pursuit lasted approximately 10 minutes until the suspect decided to evade officers by cutting through a field. Unbeknownst to the suspect, the field abruptly ended at the bank of Sims Bayou.
Subsequently, the car plunged into the water, sinking into depths of about 15 feet near the 7900 block of Grove Ridge Drive. Reacting swiftly, four HPD officers leaped into the bayou, where they witnessed the suspect removing the child from the backseat. The officers successfully rescued the child, bringing them to safety. However, the chase was far from over.
“The suspect took off and tried to go in the opposite direction, and so that’s when the other officers basically swam out to the suspect and apprehended him almost to the other end of the bayou, and were able to bring him back to the scene,” Pham explained.
The suspect now faces charges of felony evasion, and authorities are also considering child endangerment charges. Investigators are diligently working to determine if the man has legal custody of the child.
During the daring rescue, one officer suffered a sprained ankle and was subsequently taken to a hospital for examination. Efforts to retrieve the submerged Mini Cooper from the bayou began the following day.
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