Police spokesman Eric Poteet says that within "milliseconds" of an officer throwing out deflation spikes, Lopez's vehicle crashed into the officer's car.
Authorities were chasing Lopez on Sunday night after spotting him a few miles from the home near Georgetown where officials say he shot to death his wife and her parents.
The case is still under investigation, but a Williamson County sheriff's official tells the Austin American-Statesman that Lopez was upset over his pending divorce.
