A Houston police sergeant was nearly assassinated early Saturday morning when a man, wanted for other serious crimes, attacked the police officer in an “ambush-style attack.”

Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner said the sergeant, identified as 17-year-veteran Mauricio Valle, and two other officers were canvassing an area in southwest Houston for a man suspected of committing multiple burglaries, an aggravated assault, and possibly an aggravated robbery.

At some point during the search, Sgt. Valle parked his car near a strip mall, according to KHOU-TV . That’s when the suspect approached Valle’s vehicle from the passenger side and opened fire, hitting the officer multiple times. But the attack failed to accomplish its goal.

Instead, Sgt. Valle returned fire, striking the suspect several times. In the end, it was the suspect who lay dead on the ground.