Man tries to hijack Houston TV news van, then steals patrol car

Credit: Houston Police Department

Credit: Houston Police Department

A vehicle crashed into a Houston television station’s news van Monday morning, and the driver attempted to hijack the crew before he stole a police cruiser, police said.

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The incident involved a KPRC news van at 4:40 a.m. Police said the driver hit the van and unsuccessfully attempted to pull the driver out of the vehicle, KHOU reported.

According to KPRC, reporter Sofia Ojeda and photographer Damon Sales, who was driving the van, were on their way to cover a story. They were stopped at a red light at an intersection when a vehicle sideswiped the van, the television station reported.

"He said, 'I'm stealing your vehicle. I'm stealing your vehicle,'" Sales told KPRC. "He tried to pull me out. We're buckled in, and he's like, 'Get out! Get out! Get out!'"

Two Houston officers stopped to help, the television station reported. The man pushed one officer down and dragged the other one out of the cruiser before stealing the vehicle.

The patrol car was found two hours later, KHOU reported. The suspect is still at large, the television station reported.

Both journalists were taken to a hospital for evaluation, KPRC reported. One officer suffered minor injuries.

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