Nash man dies shortly after arrest

The Texas Rangers are investigating an in-custody death Saturday morning involving a prisoner at the Bi-State Justice Center Jail.

Juan Cordova-Sanchez, 26 of Nash, Texas, was taken to Wadley Regional Medical Center after reportedly losing consciousness while in the jail.

Cordova-Sanchez flagged down off-duty Texarkana, Ark., Police Officer Tanner Freeman shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Texas Boulevard and New Boston Road, according to prepared statement released Sunday afternoon by the Texarkana, Texas, Police Department.

When Freeman attempted to make contact with Cordova-Sanchez, the Nash resident, who was in a vehicle, suddenly drove south on Texas Boulevard away from the scene. Freeman then activated his emergency lights and siren and pursued CordovaSanchez. With the officer still behind him, CordovaSanchez called the 911 operator and indicated that he may possibly be injured, but refused to provide any further information.

As Freeman and the suspect continued south, Cordova-Sanchez pulled left onto a sidewalk curb on Texas Boulevard and then continued east before reaching a Wadley hospital parking lot. There, the suspect turned around in the lot, striking another curb before pulling back out west onto Texas Boulevard and heading south again toward the Bi-State Justice Center.

Texarkana, Texas, officers Sergeant Brad Thacker, Jarrod Dean and Shawn Jacobs arrived in the area and assisted as the pursuit came to an end in 100 block of West Broad Street.

Jacobs and Freeman removed Cordova-Sanchez from the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs before walking the suspect to the Bi-State Justice Center, where he was then taken to the jail without further incident, according to the statement.

The Texas-side officers then met jail staff at the front doors of the jail and released the suspect into their custody before returning outside to the suspect’s vehicle, where they began impounding procedures. However, within about 40 minutes Texas-side officers were notified by jail staf that the suspect was in cardiac arrest inside the jail.

LifeNet personnel responded to the scene and transported Cordova-Sanchez to Wadley, where he later died.

The Texas Rangers were then contacted to conduct an investigation into the death. Officials also ordered an autopsy and results are pending.

At press time, Texas-side Services Police Sgt. Geoffrey Lewis said that the suspect had been driving a Chevrolet sports utility vehicle, but he added that he didn’t have information as to the exact time of the suspect’s death.