Man arrested after 100 mph chase in alleged stolen vehicle, court records say
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A 41-year-old man was arrested after he led law enforcement on a 100 mph police chase on Interstate 35 in Travis County last week. He was accused and arrested on a third degree forgery charge for having alleged fake documents on him, among other items, according to court records.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was driving south on I-35 to San Marcos and detected an alleged stolen vehicle with their "in-car license plate reader." The vehicle was confirmed to be a stolen vehicle reported by the Austin Police Department, according to court documents.
The DPS trooper then attempted to do a traffic stop on the vehicle, but then the driver "began to evade," court documents said. This then prompted the trooper to begin a law enforcement chase.
During the chase, the driver, later identified as the 41-year-old man, caused a two-vehicle minor crash and was driving more than 100 mph, according to court documents.
The trooper then tried to do a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle but decided not to since it wasn't in a "safe location." A PIT maneuver -- or Precision Immobilization Technique -- is a tactic law enforcement uses to stop a fleeing vehicle, which causes it to spin out and come to a stop.
However, the trooper was able to do a PIT maneuver when the driver "was turning into an empty public parking lot," court records said. The driver was then placed in handcuffs and put into the trooper's patrol vehicle.
Another DPS trooper arrived on the scene after the arrest to help search the alleged stolen vehicle. While searching it, the trooper found the following, as provided by court documents:
- "glass meth pipe"
- "fictitious" temporary driver license
- "homemade counterfeit" U.S. Postal Service master key
- Multiple documents with another person's "private information"
The man was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading with a vehicle, reckless driving, forgery for the fraudulent temporary driver's license and unlawful use of a criminal instrument, court records said. He was then transported to the Travis County Jail.
No other details were available Tuesday.