Manuel Martinez, 38, arrested for firing gun at Houston police officers during stand-off

Charges have been filed against a suspect arrested in a shooting incident in which an HPD officer discharged a weapon at 14103 Buffalo Speedway about 1:55 a.m. on Monday (March 25).

The suspect, Manuel Martinez, 38, is charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and deadly conduct in the 176th State District Court. A booking photo of Martinez is attached to this news release.

Officer M. Najera discharged his duty weapon at the suspect, who was not struck. Officer Najera was sworn in as an officer in October 2022 and is assigned to the Southwest Patrol Division.

No one was injured in the incident.

HPD Special Investigations Unit Sergeant D. Lane and Detectives J. Montalvo, N. Arellano and W. Elliott reported:

HPD patrol officers responded to a disturbance with a weapon call at a residence at the above address at about 1:05 a.m. Officers learned the suspect, later identified as Martinez, was inside a recreation vehicle (RV) in the back yard of the residence. As officers attempted to convince the suspect to surrender, he told them he had guns and wanted to commit suicide by police officers.

At about 1:55 a.m., officers heard what appeared to be a gunshot inside the RV and the suspect was spotted near a broken window. Officers saw he was holding what appeared to be a long gun, and he lowered it in the direction of Officer Najera, who then discharged his duty weapon towards the suspect. The suspect was not hit. He then barricaded himself inside the RV and refused to come out.

The HPD SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Teams responded to the scene. At about 5:40 a.m., the suspect surrendered to SWAT officers. He was subsequently arrested and charged for his role in this incident.

As is customary in HPD officer-involved shooting incidents in the Houston city limits, this case is being investigated by the HPD Special Investigations Unit and the Internal Affairs Division.