Gunman flees after killing two in Texas

The authorities in Texas were searching for a gunman who is on the run after killing two men on a Houston freeway as horrified motorists watched during the Thursday evening rush hour.

Police initially got a call of an accident at 5:55 p.m., but when they arrived seven minutes later, they found a shooting scene.

Authorities on Friday described the gunman as a Hispanic male in his 20's armed with what they believe was gun similar to an AR-15 assault-style weapon.

The fatal incident started as a crash involving two cars headed eastbound on Interstate 10, Houston Police Assistant Chief Bobby Dobbins said Thursday evening at a news conference.

"One of the vehicles struck the other vehicle and spun it out ... similar to a pit maneuver," he said, according to video of the news conference tweeted by Houston Police. A pit maneuver is a police tactic used to spin out a car from behind during a chase.

Two occupants of the vehicle that rammed the other car got out, Dobbins said. One had a weapon.

The gunman, described by a witness as a Hispanic male, fired multiple shots at the car that had been rammed, pursuing it as it rolled down a hill, he said. Witnesses said the shooter is possibly in his early 20s, thin build, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and was wearing a red shirt, according to a Friday statement from the police.

An unidentified male witness pulled out a pistol and started firing shots at the suspect, Dobbins said. The suspect then fled in his vehicle, along with a male passenger.

Police found narcotics in the car of the two victims, Dobbins said. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has not yet verified the identity of the men, who are 25 and 33 years old, police said.

The shooter's motive was not yet known.