SAN ANTONIO – A suspect with outstanding warrants was taken into custody late last night following a pursuit that began in southern Atascosa County and ended in Bexar County.
Just before midnight, an Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to stop a vehicle near FM 140 and Avenue E while patrolling in Christine, Texas.
According to the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, the driver refused to stop and fled the scene.
During the pursuit, the driver entered Interstate 37 and began traveling northbound in the southbound lanes. Instead of continuing directly behind the vehicle, the deputy moved onto the access road while keeping the suspect in sight to maintain safety. Within a few miles, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper arrived to assist. The driver then moved back to the correct side of the highway but continued fleeing.
With Atascosa County deputies and DPS troopers in pursuit, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office was alerted and set up spike strips near the Bexar-Atascosa County line in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
Once the driver crossed into Bexar County, he crashed into a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle. Luckily, the deputy had stepped out moments before to deploy spike strips.
The driver, Angel Martinez, was taken into custody after his vehicle became disabled. Martinez had active arrest warrants out of Dallas County for possession of a controlled substance and fraud.