A Houston business owner was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly hired a hitman to kill a police officer who gave him too many nuisance tickets.
A man is accused of hiring a hitman to kill a Houston PD officer who issued him multiple citations. Photo: Houston PD/Facebook
In an elaborate ruse, police played along with the scheme and went so far as to fake the officer's death before arresting 47-year-old Mohammed Mohamed and charging him with solicitation of capital murder, Chief Art Acevedo said Tuesday.
"The suspect wanted the officer dead because he believed that the officer was interfering in his business operations," Acevedo said.
The plot unraveled in late May when a tipster came forward and alerted police to the plans, Acevedo said. The target was a member of the Houston Police Department's Differential Response Team, a small team that addresses quality-of-life issues in the city, reports the Houston Chronicle.
The unit focuses on unkempt lots, residential improprieties and ordinance violations. In this case, a slew of tickets for too many vehicles at the eastside logistics and shipping company ignited the man's anger, police said.
