Driver shot after leading cops on 2-county chase
A man who refused to stop for an alleged traffic violation Tuesday led four law enforcement agencies in a chase over two counties that ended with the driver being shot, officials said.
The pursuit began in China Grove when a police officer tried to pull over a car on U.S. 87 for a traffic violation, but the driver refused to stop. The officer reported that the driver pointed a gun at him at the start of the pursuit.
Bexar County deputies joined the chase, which reached speeds in excess of 90 mph. They stopped when the car reached the Wilson County line, where deputies from that jurisdiction and La Vernia police joined the China Grove officer.
The car, and pursuing law enforcement, made a U-turn near Sutherland Springs and raced back westbound on U.S. 87, officials said.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said deputies unsuccessfully attempted to stop the car with spike strips at the county line. Deputies then set up a second set of spike strips that popped one of the suspect’s tires.
After the vehicle collided with several patrol cars on U.S. 87 near Stuart Road, a deputy jumped out of his SUV and drew his weapon.
Jim Routh, 76, lives in an apartment overlooking U.S. 87. He heard sirens, looked out his window and saw a deputy was standing in front of the car with his gun drawn when the driver hit the gas pedal.
“Next thing I know, he takes off again and I hear, ‘Pow, pow, pow, pow,’” Routh said.
The deputy fired several shots at the car as it approached, striking the driver at least once in the upper body, Salazar said.
The vehicle struck the deputy, who was flipped onto the hood and thrown as the car hit the SUV and kept going. The deputy had minor injuries, Salazar said.
Soon after, the driver collided with a Wilson County deputy’s SUV and the pursuit concluded.
BCSO said the man, who is in his late 20s, was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in critical condition.
A woman in her early 30s, who was a passenger in the car, was not injured, officials said.
The deputy who shot the man is a six-year BCSO veteran. He will be placed on administrative leave during an investigation.