Chase Ends Peacefully in Mesquite

A chase that began shortly after 10 a.m. in Terrell ended about 50 minutes later in Mesquite when the driver stopped and surrendered.

The Terrell Police Department said it got a call about a vehicle theft in the 100 block of West High Street. Two witnesses gave police a very accurate description of the vehicle and the driver while one of the witnesses even followed the stolen vehicle and relayed location information to dispatchers.

Terrell police officers began their chase in the 1600 block of West Moore Avenue and followed the flatbed pickup onto westbound U.S. Highway 80.

The chase continued into Mesquite and then onto Interstate 30 and into Dallas. Chopper 5 began following the chase at about 10:45 a.m.  The chase traveled along Scyene Road, Interstate 635 and Galloway Avenue.

Terrell police said the chase reached speeds nearing 100 mph at times. At times, the driver drove into oncoming traffic on city streets while trying to escape.

The Texas Department of Public Safety's helicopter stayed with the fleeing pickup as Terrell police, Mesquite police, Dallas County Sheriff's deputies and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers gave chase.

Police said officers were able to partially disable the stolen vehicle with spike strips.

At about 11 a.m., the driver pulled over and stopped and was taken into custody without further incident.

Police identified the driver as 29-year-old Armando Fuentes of Terrell. Fuentes was taken into custody by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.

Fuentes has been charged with evading arrest and aggravated assault against a public servant. Terrell Police say he nearly hit an officer during the pursuit.

"Disregarding traffic, not paying any attention to anything he was doing,"  said Mark Howard with the Dallas County Sheriff Department. "He initiated a lot of new charges in Dallas county, fleeing, evading."

No crashes or injuries have been reported in connection with the chase.

NBC 5 Garland Reporter Tammy Mutasa contributed to this report.

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