Maniac with AR-15 guns down two people on Houston highway, sparking manhunt
A maniac is on the loose after he gunned down two people with an AR-15 in the middle of Houston rush-hour traffic — and then bolted in his car, with a trash bag full of weed inside, according to a new report.
The chaos unfolded just before 6 p.m. Thursday on eastbound Interstate 10, when the shooter and another person inside his sedan struck another vehicle, causing it to spin out, local outlet ABC 13 reported.
Both suspects got out of the car — and one of them opened fire, according to the report.
“A Hispanic male, tan shirt, holding a really big gun, shooting at another car,” a police dispatcher said.
Assistant Chief Bobby Dobbins of the Houston Police Department told the station a witness caught a glimpse of the weapon.
“He’s familiar with guns and he believes it was an AR-15,” the police official said.
“Unreal scene just witnessed on I-10 in Houston, eastbound lanes at Holland, just outside the east loop,” KHOU reporter Daniel Gotera tweeted at the time. “A guy gets out of his car with gun just shooting in the middle of freeway. Unbelievable.”
As the victims’ car rolled toward the gunman, he popped off multiple shots, killing both men in the vehicle, authorities told ABC 13.
Then the shooter and his passenger took off in their car, which had a large garbage bag filled with marijuana, police sources told the outlet.
Authorities do not have a solid description of the suspects or their vehicle, according to the report.
One driver told authorities he fired at the shooter with a pistol that he carries for personal protection. It was unclear if the gunman was hit, according to the report.
“This is a scary event to happen at 6 o’clock at night on a busy freeway,” Dobbins said.
Police weren’t ruling out any possible motives.
“Road rage? An accident? Narcotics? We don’t know yet,” the assistant chief said.
Later Thursday night, authorities were checking in with local business, including hotels — urging them to be extra cautious about about who walks in.
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