A Texas man who led cops on a frenzied chase after being accused of stabbing a Houston police dog has allegedly confessed to killing his father with a dumbbell.
Authorities say Ryan Mitchell Smith, a 26-year-old crime scene cleaner, “murdered his father shortly after stabbing a police K-9 while trying to escape from a robbery,” according to court documents obtained by KTRK-TV.
While the identity of the victim is still pending official verification from autopsy results, Houston police believe they found the remains of the dad, Cameron Smith, early Tuesday in his garage, with evidence of head trauma that appeared consistent with a dumbbell.
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Ryan Smith was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon by a state trooper from the Department of Public Safety who found him walking along the highway in Waller County. Authorities say that after they caught up with him, Smith admitted to playing a role in his father’s death during interviews with detectives.
The fresh charges come days after Smith had been released on $50,000 bond for a heap of other charges in a separate case.
On Saturday, Smith had allegedly tried to steal a car from two men and had also stolen a phone charger before fleeing on foot, cops said.
According to HPD Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite, Smith managed “to jump buildings, apartment complex parking garages and made his way back out onto a street,” KPRC-TV reported.
He was later found ducking in a parking garage and responding officers sent a K-9 in a hunt after him. When cops finally caught up with the pair, they allegedly found Smith wielding a knife and the dog bleeding on the ground.
“Our suspect was holding a large butcher knife,” Satterwhite said, according to KPRC-TV. “Something you would normally see in the kitchen in an upward raise motion, and apparently, had just stabbed Nate, our K-9 dog.”
Smith was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest, robbery with bodily injury, and interference with a service animal after allegedly injuring the police dog, who was transported to a veterinary clinic for surgery.
Smith’s mom had called police alarmed, KTRK-TV reported, telling cops her son had left home hunting for guns and had been talking about ending his life.
He allegedly went to stay at his dad’s house after his family posted bond in the K-9 case, but a day later, relatives were calling police again after failing to locate Smith and his dad.
After poking around Cameron Smith’s home and finding neither father nor son, police said they spotted Ryan Smith in a pickup truck that was parked near the house. Smith allegedly bolted, leading officers on a frenzied pursuit that ended with the 26-year-old crashing his car and running away. A state trooper eventually found him walking along the highway several hours after the initial chase and roughly 50 miles from where he had abandoned the truck.
Smith is due back in court on Friday and this time the Harris County District Attorney's Office has requested a $2 million bond.
Smith’s lawyer told KTRK after the second arrest that he was concerned about Smith’s mental health and was worried Smith had spoken with investigators without his counsel.
“His family and friends all know this isn’t the Ryan Smith we know,” Ralph Manginello said. “We are all concerned about his mental health and want him to get some help.”
