On January 27, 2022 officers from the Houston Police Department SWAT Team responded to a vehicle pursuit where the suspect shot 3 officers with a fully automatic Glock pistol, then proceeded to car-jack a vehicle and flee the scene of the shooting. SWAT, along with investigators, located the vehicle & suspect at his residence. Family members of the suspect exited the residence and stated the suspect was injured & needed medical attention. SWAT developed a plan to approach the window utilizing multiple shields and deploy a robot. After SWAT ported the window, a robot was deployed . Moments later, Officer Tony Villa (who was the shield operator), Officer Charles Dexter and Sergeant Marco Lopez (both behind the shield), took fire from the suspect who was concealed inside the residence. Multiple rounds were fired and the officers’ Safariland® PROTECH® Defender 1934 shield stopped one 9mm round. All 3 officers were able to stay in the fight and return fire.
The suspect surrendered and is facing multiple felonies.
We welcome SWAT Officer Tony Villa, SAVE #2137 to The Safariland Group SAVES Club®.
