Police located the possible suspects at an apartment complex beside the northeast Houston park shortly after a 14-year-old was wounded.
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston police detained three armed males at an apartment complex next to Tidwell Park after a 14-year-old boy was shot during a reported robbery Tuesday evening, setting off an investigation into possible criminal charges.
The rapid detention became a central part of the police response after officers were called about 7 p.m. to the park at 9700 Spaulding Street. Authorities said the teenager had been riding an electric scooter near the playground when three suspects confronted him, shot him in the upper leg and took the scooter.
Officers searching the surrounding area soon went to an apartment complex adjacent to the park, where they found three males believed to be older juveniles or young adults. Houston police Lt. Larry Crowson said each of them had a handgun. Police detained all three while robbery investigators examined the shooting.
The identities of the three males had not been released Wednesday morning. Police also had not publicly specified which person was suspected of firing the shot or described the evidence investigators were using to connect each detained person to the confrontation at the park.
Crowson said Tuesday night that investigators expected to work with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on criminal charges. However, the reports available Wednesday morning did not confirm that any formal charges had been filed. Detention by police does not by itself establish criminal responsibility, and investigators were still working to determine what role, if any, each person played.
The teenager was taken to a hospital after park personnel initially tended to him. Police said his injury was not considered life-threatening, and he was reported in stable condition. His name was not released.
Investigators were also searching for the boy’s electric scooter, which had not been recovered Tuesday night. Police did not say whether they believed it had been taken into the nearby apartment complex, moved elsewhere or abandoned after the robbery.
The incident happened while it was still daylight, Crowson said. Police have not released a more detailed timeline of the confrontation, including how long the robbery lasted, how quickly officers located the three males or whether surveillance footage or witnesses helped guide officers to the apartment complex.
HPD robbery detectives continued the investigation Wednesday. Authorities had not announced a final charging decision, released the names of those detained or reported that the stolen scooter had been found.
Author note: Last updated September 9, 2026.