Crime

Police Officer Shot in the Face and Foot After Pursuing Robbery Suspect in High-Speed Chase

Officer Crystal Sepulveda, 29, a three-year veteran of the police force, was transported to hospital on Saturday

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Published on July 23, 2022 08:24 PM

A police officer is expected to survive after being shot in the face and foot following a high-speed chase.

Missouri City Police officer Crystal Sepulveda, was shot by an armed suspect during a pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies after officers found a stolen vehicle connected to an earlier aggravated robbery.

A Missouri City police officer was shot at the end of a chase early Saturday morning. The officer was rushed to the Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center in the back of a patrol unit and was seen being carried into the emergency room by several officers. Houston police said the officer was shot twice, once in the face and in the foot, but is stable right now. She has been identified as Officer Crystal Sepulveda. — Missouri City Police

Police had set up a perimeter and located the suspect at a gas station on the corner of Fondren Road and Main Street in Houston, Texas in the early hours of Saturday when Sepulveda came under fire, KPRC reports.

Officers returned fire, shooting the suspect. "[The suspect] was armed with two automatic pistols with extended magazines," Chief Troy Finner said in a press conference Saturday. "That's what we're facing, and everybody needs to know it."

Sepulveda was transported to Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center. She was in stable condition on Saturday afternoon and is suspected to survive.

The unidentified suspect was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead there shortly after arrival.

Officer Sepulveda, 29, is a three-year veteran of the police force, according to local outlet KHOU.

"She is at the hospital with family and friends," Missouri City Assistant Police Chief Lance Bothel said of Sepulveda. "She's a strong officer and she will make it through this."

"I ask for prayers for everybody involved, but certainly our men and women on the front lines," Finner continued.

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Each agency involved will conduct independent investigations into the incident.