2 teens shot by guard during armored truck robbery attempt in Gulfton

A guard shot two teenagers during an attempted armored-truck robbery in Gulfton, sending Houston police to the 5500 block of Bellaire Boulevard about 2:30 p.m.

Police said the confrontation began after suspects approached the armored vehicle. In a social media teaser, investigators said the suspects sprayed the driver with bear spray before the driver fired at them. Police believed the two suspects were about 15 and 16 years old.

The shooting unfolded near Bellaire Boulevard and Chimney Rock Road in southwest Houston, a busy stretch bordered by apartments, stores and steady traffic. In a corridor like that, a robbery attempt can put shoppers, workers and drivers in the line of danger within seconds, even when the target is a cash-moving vehicle rather than a storefront.

Houston police said they are examining the sequence of events, including how the shooting unfolded and who initiated the confrontation. That question will matter in any review of the guard’s response and in any criminal case that follows.

The case also fits a pattern Houston has seen before with armored-truck crime. Police investigated a similar shooting and attempted robbery on Westheimer Road in the 8100 block outside a Bank of America on Jan. 23, 2025. Houston has also seen an armored-car robbery in north Houston turn deadly, underscoring how quickly these robberies can escalate from theft to gunfire.

For Gulfton, the immediate effect is more than one violent episode on one afternoon. The neighborhood’s dense mix of commercial traffic and apartment living means a single armed confrontation can ripple across a wider area, affecting the people who live, work and drive through Bellaire Boulevard every day.