An Humble man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for shooting at a police officer in Upper Kirby during a chase through Houston on the Southwest Freeway, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“We are all lucky no one was hurt during this 37-mile chase or the brazen shots being fired at civilians and a peace officer,” Ogg said. “We stand by our partners in law enforcement because an attack on a police officer is an attack on our community.”

A Harris County jury convicted Milton Callahan, 47, last week of aggravated assault of a public servant for shooting a police vehicle three times, narrowly missing a Houston Police Department officer who was driving on the Southwest Freeway on Sept. 19, 2020.

Late Friday, jurors sentenced Callahan to 37 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. After the trial, they spoke with prosecutors and noted that Callahan led police on a chase that was 37 miles long. He must serve at least half of the sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

Humble police first approached Callahan about 9:30 p.m. as he sat behind the wheel of a black GMC Yukon while wearing a mask in a parking lot near a residential area. A concerned father said he noticed Callahan taking photos of his pre-teen children. As police arrived at the residence and tried to speak with Callahan, he sped off, clipping the side of a business as he fled. He then refused to pull over.

Callahan led police vehicles on a 37-mile chase from Humble through Houston. As Callahan passed the Newcastle exit on U.S. 59, he passed an HPD officer driving a Dodge Charger. Callahan fired two shots into the passenger-side door of the police Charger and a third shot through the back passenger window. That bullet hit the cage in the back of the police car.

That officer then joined the chase following Callahan, who ran a civilian car into a wall. That car caught fire, but the family in the car escaped and survived.

Callahan finally crashed at Fondren at Willowbend. He then tried to run away but was arrested after a brief chase. In his SUV, police found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and multiple spent shell casings. Callahan’s girlfriend was also in the SUV, and she told police that she was begging him to stop and that he knew he was shooting at a police car. She said he was shooting at her and civilian cars as well.

Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall, who is part of the District Attorney’s Vehicular Crimes Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Morgan Kline. Marshall noted that Callahan had been in trouble with the law before but had been given several “second chances.” He had been arrested previously for unlawful possession of a firearm and for evading police.

“This defendant has had every opportunity to turn his life around,” Marshall said. “It’s staggering when you think about all the people who could have been killed because of this defendant and this chase. Thank goodness no one died.”