United States of America v. Isaiah Joshua Lee Houston

Lubbock, Texas, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with car jacking.

Reported by Kent Morlan

Isaiah Joshua Lee Houston, 26, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, carjacking that occurred next to the federal and county courthouses in downtown Lubbock, Texas.

Houston approached a box truck as it stopped at a red light at the intersection of Buddy Holly Avenue and Broadway Street in downtown Lubbock. Houston attempted to open the driver’s door, but the driver was able to push Houston away from the vehicle.

Houston then ran toward a nearby black SUV that was parked westbound on Broadway Street, next to the Lubbock County Courthouse and just to the north of the George H. Mahon Federal Building. As he ran toward the SUV, Houston pulled a knife from his pocket, opened the driver’s side door, and forcibly removed an adult female from the driver’s seat. At the time of the carjacking, the female was sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle and holding a newborn baby.

Houston entered the SUV but was quickly confronted by a nearby security guard along with an off-duty officer with the Lubbock Police Department (LPD). Houston fled from the vehicle and ran around the west side of the Lubbock County Courthouse. Surveillance video from outside the federal building showed Houston approaching the SUV and removing the female from the vehicle before being confronted by law enforcement.

The security guard observed that Houston was still holding the same knife he saw earlier. The security guard then fired shots at Houston, hitting him once in the leg. Houston was then taken into custody, and the knife was recovered along Houston’s running path.

Multiple federal and state agencies responded to the incident and secured the scene. Within just a few hours, federal and state agents had interviewed witnesses, recovered videos of the incident, and presented a United States Magistrate Judge with proposed criminal charges, which were quickly approved.

This investigation was a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lubbock Texas Anti-Gang Center. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.