HCSO: Manager shot suspect during attempted robbery at Showboat Drive-In
HOCKLEY, Texas (FOX 26) - Harris County deputies say an employee at the Showboat Drive-in fatally shot a suspect who was attempting to rob the business after closing early Monday morning.
The owner says a general manager and an assistant manager were upstairs after closing, when they heard noises downstairs. The general manager went down to check, and she was confronted by two male suspects.
Investigators say one of the suspects, who was possibly armed with a knife, appeared to have been hiding in a closet. The manager gave the suspect commands, and he fled the scene.
Another suspect, who was possibly hiding in the restrooms, then appeared. Investigators say the man may have been armed with a bat and there was possibly a physical altercation. The manager was armed and shot the suspect, deputies say.
The suspect died at the scene.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says the incident will be investigated and likely referred to the district's attorney's office.
"They have a right to protect themselves. Again, all of that will be investigated, it will be part of the investigation and most likely referred to the district attorney's office. But, I mean, if they're in a business and isolated, these women did what they did to protect themselves and not become victims themselves," Sheriff Gonzalez says. "Because again, we'll have to confirm if they were even attacked, it appears one actually attacked them. But these individuals were armed. A bat could be a deadly weapon and so could obviously a knife. So, they did what they needed to do to protect themselves. So, it sounds like they did an excellent job."