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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A popular TikTok user was startled awake on Thursday morning to discover that his truck and bass fishing boat had been stolen from his brother’s driveway in Tomball.
Garrett Walters and his girlfriend, Lauren, had driven from Alabama to the Houston area, arriving around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Walters, a bass fisherman with over 360,000 TikTok followers, often shares videos of himself and his girlfriend on his decked-out Alabama boat.
After parking his truck and boat in his brother’s driveway in the Amira neighborhood near the Grand Parkway and Mueschke, Walters went to bed. He was awakened around 5:45 a.m. by his girlfriend, who told him, “You need to come out here. It’s the boat and truck.” Initially thinking someone had broken into his truck and boat, he went outside to find only tire marks left behind.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office reported a chase involving the stolen truck and boat. Walters, recognizing his truck and boat from social media, feared people might think he was involved in something suspicious.
learned the suspects drove south on US-290 to IH-610, exited onto the Katy Freeway heading east, then onto I-45 north, and finally onto IH-610 east towards IH-59 north. The chase ended near Porter in Montgomery County.
Dispatch audio revealed that the suspects drove the wrong way on the Eastex Freeway and Will Clayton Parkway. Despite law enforcement’s attempts to stop them with spike strips in Humble, they continued driving. An officer can be heard on the dispatch saying, “Traffic is none. We’re at 80, still going the wrong way… We’re approaching Will Clayton Parkway right now. Y’all back off of him.”
Speeds during the chase reached up to 110 miles per hour.
Precinct 4 reported that both suspects fled on foot when they stopped near Porter, and one suspect was taken into custody. Houston and Sugar Land police officers, along with Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies, were involved in the incident, according to a tweet from Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman.
Walters recovered his truck and boat, though both sustained significant damage. The suspects had put gasoline in his diesel truck. Despite the ordeal, Walters is now focused on finding a place to fish while in town.