HOUSTON, Texas — Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputies ended a day-long manhunt with the arrest of a capital murder suspect who allegedly went on a violent crimes spree that left three people dead. The suspect is a parolee — recently released from prison.
Harris County deputies carried out a well-publicized manhunt that led to the arrest of Jose Gilberto Rodriguez early Tuesday morning. Rodriguez, a U.S. citizen, allegedly went on a week-long crime spree that left two women and a man dead. He also is suspected of robbing and shooting a Houston METROLift bus driver. The driver is expected to survive his wounds, KTRK ABC13 reported.
A Clikc2Houston cameraman happened to capture the moment that police caught up with Rodriguez. KPRC NBC2 photographer Cesar Martinez happened to be shooting video outside the location in northwest Harris County where the home invasion took place. Martinez observed a man who appeared similar to Rodriguez driving by in a gray Nissan, the local NBC affiliate reported.
“This Nissan comes rolling up and this guy looks straight at me and I’m like, ‘He looks like the guy,’” Martinez explained. “So I started shooting (video of) him and the police start chasing him.”
Sheriff’s Office deputies took off after the murder suspect who stopped and then took off again. The chase ended in a crash a short distance later. It appeared Rodriguez surrendered to police without a fight, KPRC reported.
Deputies said they believe that Rodriguez was casing the area where his parents lived in search of another victim. Deputies reportedly found a gun inside the Nissan.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales began sending out messages to the public on Monday asking for help in locating Rodriguez.
The alleged crime spree began with a home invasion on July 9. He reportedly went on to kill a 62-year-old woman in Cypress, Texas, on Friday. Over the weekend, Rodriguez robbed two mattress stores in the Houston area, police said. During those robberies, he allegedly killed a man at a Mattress One store on Houston’s north side and a female employee at a Mattress Firm store near Willowbrook Mall on the northwest side.
The crime spree continued on Monday as Rodriguez allegedly robbed and shot a Houston METROLift bus driver. That driver is expected to survive his injury, officials stated.
Rodriguez has a lengthy criminal history, according to court records obtained by Breitbart Texas from the office of Harris County District Clerk Chris Daniel. His crimes include Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse, Burglary of a Habitation, Auto Theft, Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, and Criminal Trespass of a Habitation.
He is now expected to face multiple charges of capital murder, armed robbery, and home invasion.
His alleged victims include 62-year-old Pamela Johnson, Mattress One employee Edward Magana, and Mattress Firm employee 28-year-old Allie Barrow. Police told KPRC that all three victims were killed in a similar fashion.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, GAB, and Facebook.
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