Man jumps out of moving car, allegedly shoots at Houston police officers during traffic stop

Houston police officers investigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting along Yellowstone Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Houston police officers investigate the scene of an officer-involved shooting along Yellowstone Boulevard on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Photo: OnScene.TV Photo: OnScene.TV Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Man jumps out of moving car, allegedly shoots at Houston police officers during traffic stop 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A pair of Houston police officers pulling over a car came under fire after the gun-toting driver tucked-and-rolled out of the vehicle and starting shooting at them, Chief Art Acevedo said.

Sources identified the suspect to Chron.com as 37-year-old Gregory Calvin Gaines. Houston Police Department spokespersons did not confirm the suspect's identity, citing the lack of formal charges.

The officers pulled a car over for a broken headlight around 3:15 a.m. Thursday in the 3900 block of Yellowstone, Acevedo said. The car made a right turn onto a side street, which is when the suspect, who was driving, and his mother, who was sitting in the seat behind him, jumped out of the car, Acevedo said.

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After getting out of the car, the suspect pulled a pistol and shot at the officers as they tried to get out of their patrol SUV, Acevedo said. Neither were struck, but the officer in the passenger seat managed to return fire.

A bullet was later found lodged in the driver’s side headlight of the SUV, Acevedo said. Several more officers rushed to the area and reportedly found the suspect hiding underneath a car a few blocks away.

Why he shot at the officers is unclear, Acevedo said. The suspect was carrying a few ecstasy doses, Acevedo said.

The suspect will likely be charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer, although charges have not yet been formally filed, according to HPD .

Gaines has a previous conviction for misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2012 and an arrest for illegally carrying a weapon in 2009, although the weapon charge was later dropped, according to court records. In that case, prosecutors dismissed the charge stating they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, court records show.

The officer who returned fire is a field training officer with 10 years of service with HPD. The officer who was driving is a rookie and did not fire his weapon, Acevedo said.

The training officer will be placed on administrative leave until an internal investigation is complete.

This is the fifth time a Houston police officer has been involved in a shooting since the start of the year. Most recently, an undercover officer working a secret operation in a southeast Houston pharmacy parking lot shot a man who approached his vehicle and allegedly made threatening gestures.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com