EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 25-year-old man told an El Paso County Sheriff’s deputy that he wanted to feel a “rush” after he did not stop during a traffic stop in far East El Paso, according to a press release by the Sheriff’s Office.
Alleged speeder tells police he wanted to see if they’d pull him over after chase
Christian Esparza was charged with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle. He was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a $5,000 bond.
Christian Esparza. Photo courtesy of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
According to jail records, Esparza was released on Monday, Sept. 7, after posting bond.
Shortly before 3 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, a deputy saw an SUV traveling eastbound along the 14900 block of Montana Avenue at “a high rate of speed,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver — later identified as Esparza — failed to stop and continued traveling eastbound.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Esparza lost control of the vehicle, entered a desert area and damaged the vehicle’s front bumper.
Dash and body camera video provided by the Sheriff’s Office shows a vehicle traveling down a road. The video jumps to show the SUV pulled over with its hazard lights and Esparza opens the door wide with his foot.
The video then cuts to body camera footage as the deputy pulls out his duty weapon and tells Esparza to “Step out.”
After repeating “step out” to Esparza, the deputy reaches the driver’s door of the vehicle. Esparza is seen stepping out of his vehicle with an apparent smile.
The body camera footage then cuts to the deputy asking Esparza, “Why didn’t you stop?” as Esparza is in handcuffs.
“It’s cause I swerved. I should’ve kept going,” Esparza said.
The deputy asked again why Esparza didn’t stop, to which he replied, “The rush, I guess. I need to feel something. It’s just boring.”
The deputy asked Esparza, “You didn’t stop cause of the rush?”
Esparza confirms, “Yeah.”
As the deputy is leading Esparza to his unit, Esparza says, “I should’ve kept going.” The deputy asks why, and Esparza replies, “Cause it would’ve been fun. I would’ve gotten home and then go deal with it,” with an apparent smile.
The deputy asked one more time why Esparza didn’t stop. He said, “Cause f**k it.”
“Evading law enforcement is dangerous and can quickly turn a traffic violation into a potentially deadly situation,” El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said. “If you see emergency lights behind you, slow down and safely pull over. Fleeing puts the driver, our personnel, and innocent members of the public at risk.”
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