The high speed chase began around 2:40pm after a Friendswood Police Department officer tried to stop a suspicious vehicle in the 200 block of West Parkwood Avenue. The driver fled, first going south on the I-45 feeder road before he made a U-turn and headed back north on the Gulf Freeway into southeast Houston. At one point, the suspect was driving the wrong direction on Beltway 8.
The pursuit finally came to an end off Capital and 75th after two people bailed out of the car and took off on foot. One man tried to run from authorities on a railroad track, but both suspects were taken into custody.
The driver of the vehicle has been identified as 37-year-old Christopher Hearen of Dickinson, Texas. The passenger of the vehicle has been identified as 39-year-old Daniel Rodriguez of Abilene, Texas. Both suspects are being held at the Friendswood City Jail and charges for narcotics and traffic violations are pending against them.
There are also reports that the suspect struck a pedestrian during the chase. One person was loaded into an ambulance. There's no word on the victim's condition.
Police say Hearen is a known methamphetamine dealer and has an extensive criminal history with over 30 charges including burglary, theft, fraud, and numerous narcotics violations. Rodriguez has six previous charges, including narcotics, theft, burglary, and traffic offenses.
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