ABC 7An off-duty police officer in Houston has been disarmed and held at gunpoint during a violent robbery.
A veteran officer with seven years service behind her, the unnamed cop had been working a side security job at a Verizon Wireless store when the robbery took place. It was reportedly her very first day of the job.
Terrifying footage shows one of the robbers disarming the officer, grabbing her gun and forcing her to the ground while holding a gun to her head. Meanwhile, another robber proceeded to snatch mobile phones from store displays.
OFFICER DISARMED: Exclusive video shows an armed robber forcing a HPD officer to the ground inside Verizon store in NW Houston. https://abc13.co/2LR8GKc?ex_cid=SND_KTRK_FB&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=snd
Posted by ABC13 Houston on Thursday, 16 May 2019
As reported by ABC7, two suspects then proceeded to flee in a black getaway vehicle along with a third suspect.
Officers quickly spotted the getaway vehicle and gave chase. Two people, Teddrick Sanford and Clayton Lamont Jenkins, have been arrested in relation to the incident following a brief police chase. However, police officers are still looking for a third suspect.
Houston police officers have said that the officer’s handgun as well as a number of stolen cell phones have since been recovered.
We are grateful our officer was unscathed, maintained her composure, & immediately ran out & obtained suspect vehicle information. Her ability to keep her wit led to their quick apprehension by responding @houstonpolice units. #RelationalPolicing https://t.co/VJNbcIlepW
— Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) May 16, 2019
Chief Art Acevedo from Houston Police has since tweeted:
We are grateful our officer was unscathed, maintained her composure, & immediately ran out & obtained suspect vehicle information.
Her ability to keep her wit led to their quick apprehension by responding @houstonpolice units. #RelationalPolicing
Houston Police Executive Assistant, Chief Troy Finner, has since given the following comment about the officer:
She trained like she was supposed to. If somebody overtakes you that quickly, you remain calm and become a good witness.
He added:
Good conclusion. We got two suspects, and once you have two, it’s pretty easy to get the last one.
Every officers worst nightmare, it could happen to any of us. Glad she kept her cool and lived to fight another day.
— Major Mike Lee (@HCSOPatrol) May 16, 2019
The arrested suspects are now facing charges of aggravated robbery and disarming a public servant.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.