Police find, arrest three car chase suspects despite dramatic escape attempt
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Three suspects were taken into custody after a dramatic car chase in north Houston.
"The vehicle refused to stop," said Houston Police Sgt. Robert Tamayo.
The chase started around 4pm as a traffic stop in the 110000 block of Homestead. Tamayo said the car had paper plates there were not readable.
SkyEye HD was over the scene as the suspects weaved in and out of traffic on the northbound lanes of the Eastex Freeway. Right after the suspects passed the Rankin Road exit, they pulled into the left shoulder lane and jumped out of the vehicle. Two suspects, one of them just 15 years old, then hurdled over concrete barriers, ran across the HOV lane and the southbound lanes of the freeway before jumping off the edge of the freeway.
SkyEye HD caught the two suspects darting across the southbound feeder lanes of the Eastex Freeway and disappear into the woods.
"We gave chase. We used our K-9 units and aerial support," said Sgt. Tamayo.
Houston police searched for the suspects and arrested two of them about an hour and half later. Shortly after, K-9 units found a third suspect and police took him into custody.
"The biggest thing is just the large wooded area that we had to work with. It's been raining as you all know, and it's a swamp out there," said Sgt. Tamayo.
Some officers were seen in ankle deep mud. After about a hour of searching, one suspect, the 20-year-old driver, was captured. A short time later the 15-year-old suspect was captured too. Another 19-year-old man was arrested in the vehicle. He did not try to evade police.
Police said the driver of the vehicle has two outstanding traffic warrants. He also did not have a driver's license and had no insurance. The driver and the 15-year-old will face evading charges. The other 19-year-old passenger will not face charges, according to HPD.
