A trash truck driver was arrested, and four other people were injured after a massive, multicounty police chase in Central Texas on Wednesday, April 6, that began in New Braunfels and ended in Austin after six vehicles were struck. 

The Comal County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) said the incident began Wednesday morning when a deputy received a report of a reckless driver, later identified as Devante Dunn, who may have been intoxicated while operating a trash truck in the 17000 block of FM 306 in New Braunfels. When a deputy found the truck and attempted a traffic stop, the driver refused to stop, ran a red light and struck another vehicle.

Authorities deployed stop sticks to deflate both front and rear left tires, but the truck driver struck a second vehicle before jumping a curb and entering the northbound lanes of the I-35 frontage road. The pursuit continued onto IH-35 with the truck traveling on two confirmed flat front tires. The driver made it to the Seguin exit before the rear left tire also deflated.

The driver briefly exited at the 213-mile marker before returning to I-35, according to the Comal County Sheriff’s Office. During the pursuit, the driver also attempted to push a Texas Department of Public Safety(DPS)  trooper off the roadway. Drivers on I-35 also captured the chaotic chase in social media videos that show more than a dozen police cars attempting to stop the garbage truck driver before it crashed into a wall in Austin. The CCSO said the driver then fled on foot, was pursued and taken into custody without further incident.

Dunn was arrested on several charges, including evading arrest with a vehicle, evading arrest on foot, four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of collision involving injury, driving while intoxicated and driving with an invalid license. 

The Comal County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the New Braunfels Police Department, San Marcos Police Department, Hays County Sheriff’s Office, Kyle Police Department, Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The investigation remains ongoing.