Dashcam footage has revealed the startling moment a Texas trooper ran toward a motorcyclist following a high-speed chase, leaped into the air and karate kicked him to the ground. The unconventional maneuver led to a three-day, unpaid suspension for Trooper Abraham Martinez last year but the footage only emerged this week as the Austin American Statesman investigated outdated tactics used in Department of Public Safety pursuits. The incident unfolded in December 2012 after Martinez, a 10-year veteran trooper, took chase when 25-year-old Steven Gaydos ran a stop sign near Houston. Gaydos knew he was being pursued but drove off because he was driving on a suspended license. Jump: Trooper Abraham Martinez is seen leaping into the air to kick Steven Gaydos after he fled from authorities in Houston in 2012 as he drove in a suspended license . Contact: Martinez was ultimately suspended for three days without pay for the unconventional tactic . 'I took off, thinking I could easily lose him,' he said in a later interview. But troopers followed Gaydos for nearly 40 miles at speeds of 130 mph before Martinez pulled alongside him and fired four times through the window of his moving car, striking the man once in the thigh. The motorcyclist then raised his hand and pulled over and, as he tried to put down his kickstand, Martinez suddenly leaped out at him, kicked him and knocked him to the ground. Gaydos was arrested for evading law enforcement, driving with an invalid license and possessing a prescription painkiller after he was found to be carrying two Percocet pills. The Statesman reported that the kick and shooting from a moving vehicle don't specifically violate the Texas Department of Public Safety rules for high-speed chases, but experts said that shooting at fleeing suspects was an area of the policy that needed updating. Knocked down: After the kick, Gaydos fell to the ground. Martinez had also shot him once in the leg . Surrender: Ahead of the kick, Gaydos could be seen raising a hand to troopers and pulling over . After the incident, Martinez said he pulled out his weapon to avoid harm coming to anyone else on the road and only intended to shoot Gaydos' tires. He did not strike the bike with any of the bullets. 'I knew that it was necessary to terminate the pursuit in order to avoid any more injuries or serious bodily injuries, possibly even deaths from happening,' he said in an interview with a supervisor. As for the kick, 'obviously we don't teach that,' he said. 'I think it's something that just comes natural to some of us.' He said he opted for the unusual move because experience taught him to act decisively in case the suspect was armed. In February 2013, a grand jury declined to indict Martinez for the shooting but he was eventually ordered to take three days off last summer for violating DPS policy by using force inconsistent with his training, the Statesman reported. Both men have declined requests to comment. Caught: Gaydos, left in his mug shot, was arrested for evading law enforcement, driving with an invalid license and possessing a prescription painkiller after he was found to be carrying two Percocet pills . Suspension: Martinez, pictured right, was suspended without pay for three days last summer but was not indicted for the shooting after he said he was trying to prevent further injuries from occurring .
Trooper Abraham Martinez jumped into the air and kicked Steven Gaydos off his bike following a high-speed chase in Houston in December 2012 . Gaydos ran a stop sign and fled while driving on a suspended license . Martinez shot at him four times - striking him in the leg - and when the man pulled over, he kicked him off his bike . Martinez was suspended for three days for the unconventional move . The video emerged this week as a Texas newspaper investigated outdated tactics used in Department of Public Safety pursuits .