EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 17-year-old was arrested after evading officers in a stolen vehicle on Saturday, Oct. 18, and crashing into an electrical utility box in East El Paso, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office says Jose Octavio Rodriguez, 17, was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, and duty on striking a structure, fixture, or highway landscaping.
On Saturday, deputies attempted to stop a vehicle near Rojas Drive and George Dieter Drive after noticing the vehicle’s rear license plate was folded upwards and was unreadable, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The driver, who was identified as Rodriguez, refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed, disregarding multiple traffic signals, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Rodriguez was accompanied by a male juvenile passenger, and the vehicle eventually came to a stop near the 10600 block of Causeway Drive after crashing into shrubbery and an electrical utility box, causing it to overturn, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Witnesses then saw Rodriguez and the male juvenile get out of the vehicle and run from the scene, and they were located a short time later. The vehicle was confirmed to have been reported stolen earlier that Saturday.
Rodriguez was booked into the El Paso Downtown Detention Facility with a total bond of $35,000. The juvenile passenger was released to his mother, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.