Harris County police chase: Suspect arrested, identified following hours-long standoff along I-10
HOUSTON - Harris County authorities have arrested a suspect following an hours-long standoff on I-10 on Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the male driver, who has been identified as 42-year-old Trinidad Cutshall, remained resistant the entire time and ignored all commands.
SWAT team members had to physically pull Cutshall out.
Gonzalez said this all began just before 1 p.m. when a patrol unit noticed a stalled 18-wheeler on the main lanes.
The deputy, who was responding to what appeared to be a potential traffic hazard, activated their lights to investigate.
Gonzalez said the driver of the 18-wheeler, described possibly as a Hispanic or white man, did not stop and continued forward at a slow speed.
Authorities said the deputy assessed the situation, considering factors like a medical emergency or public safety risk.
Officials said as the 18-wheeler continued, it made evasive maneuvers, swerving across multiple lanes.
The deputy, who was concerned about those risk factors involved with the truck, continued to follow until the vehicle finally stopped just past Sheldon.
At that point, the sheriff's Office deployed spikes successfully to stop the vehicle.
By around 1:45 p.m., SkyFOX captured authorities firing, what can only believe to be tear gas, into the cab of the vehicle.
Throughout the standoff, numerous pieces of equipment were used to bring Cutshall into custody, including the use of a battering ram to peel back portions of the truck cab.
Authorities fired more gas into the vehicle to get Cutshall to surrender. And at one point, you could see the smoke coming out of the ripped away portion of the truck cab.
It's unclear what caused Cutshall to refuse to exit the vehicle, and it could be anything from impairment to potential criminal behavior, authorities said.
Officials said Cutshall will be charged with felony evading after receiving treatment for some cuts to the face.
We'll keep you up-to-date with the very latest as we learn more information.