HOUSTON -
A paralyzed man led police on a high-speed chase through Montgomery County Tuesday morning and tried to use his wheelchair to stop officers, according to deputies.
The chase started in Willis when Bryan Carnes refused to pull over after running a red light shortly before 1 a.m., investigators said. The driver then got on Interstate 45 southbound.
During the 15-mile chase, Carnes tried to use his wheelchair as a tool to run officers off the road, deputies said.
"There were times during the pursuit that the suspect driver would remotely, from inside his vehicle, move the boom out and move the wheelchair to the outside of the truck, letting it bounce off the roadway," said Dan Norris with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Several different law enforcement agencies set up stop-sticks and Carnes lost control on Interstate 45 near the Woodlands Parkway.
A Montgomery County deputy opened fire on Carnes, killing him, after Carnes threatened officers, investigators said.
"As officers approached the vehicle, the driver was yelling, 'Shoot me. Shoot me. I have a gun. I have a gun. Shoot me.' The suspect also reached down below the seat several times and did pull something out from under the seat, but we don't know exactly what that was," Norris said.
Officials said a weapon was not found inside the vehicle.
Carnes' 17-year-old son was upset that his father was shot and killed.
"He was kind-hearted. he was a very sweet man. In my opinion, it's not right for a handicapped person. He was shot multiple times, more than once," Braxton Carnes said. "He doesn't carry around a gun at all."
The deputy involved in the shooting was placed on leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. That is standard in deputy-involved shootings.
Interstate 45 was closed for nearly nine hours during the investigation
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