In the back of the Suburban during the long and dangerous police chase was an infant girl. We talked with the suspect claiming to be her mother and a juvenile as they sat handcuffed in the back of a deputy's car. The mother was in tears and nearly speechless.
"I was in the back of the seat, sir, and all these bumps and stuff started going. I didn't know, sir, what was going on. I feel like I shouldn't get in trouble, neither one of us should," the boy told Eyewitness News. "I'm 14, sir."
The mother asked us, "Can you take care of my baby, sir?"
When they crashed, deputies say the teenager and three adults bailed out, leaving the baby in the Suburban. Dealership employees helped catch one of the suspects as he tried to run.
Employee Matt Paradeaux said, "We weren't really going after him until we got over there and saw that there was no cops, so they could get away. "
"We chased them around to the side," said employee Craig Johnson. "He stopped running when he seen he was out of options and that me and Omar had him in our sights."
Omar Munoz stopped him with his car.
The adults and the teen are now in custody. The baby is with her grandmother and aunt.
Sgt. Wiley Hogue with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said, "All four suspects bailed out. They literally abandoned their child. The K-9 was the actual primary unit to pursue. He deployed his canine and captured the driver. Baytown units arrived a short time later and also the car dealership folks helped out. "
Sgt. Hogue tells Eyewitness News deputies never knew that child was in the SUV. They couldn't see the car seat until the chase was over. He adds that even though it's not policy, and would have been a judgment call, if he would have known about the infant in the back, given the weather conditions and the roads the way they were, they probably would have stopped pursuing. Fortunately nobody was hurt -- even that baby is OK.
The susepcts has been identified as 41-year-old Scott Aaron Fancher, 19-year-old David Pappas and 18-year-old Courtney Fancher. All three suspects have been charged with felony evading. Scott Fancher and Pappas also face felony robbery by threat.
