A driver led sheriff's deputies and constables on a high-speed chase through Dallas County Monday afternoon before being taken into custody in a North Dallas neighborhood.
The chase originated with the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office when deputies tried to stop the driver of a black Mercedes sedan for a traffic violation. The driver, whose vehicle had a paper license tag, refused to pull over.
The Texas DPS was called in for assistance at about 1:15 p.m.in Kaufman County before the chase moved into Dallas County.
The driver sped back and forth down interstates 30 and 635, spinning out once and hitting a concrete barrier wall after exiting Dalrock near Lake Ray Hubbard, but still refused to stop.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The driver went back toward Dallas and north on 635 toward Garland. It was there the driver exited Plano Road and drove to a neighborhood near the intersection with Forest Lane.
Moments later the driver bailed out and tried to escape on foot. At about 2:15 p.m., after jumping several fences and trying to hide in between homes and in alleyways, the visibly fatigued man was chased on top of a parked car by a K-9 officer and then taken into custody by the dog's partner.
Speeds in the chase were estimated to have exceeded 115 mph.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The driver has not been identified and it's not yet clear what charges he'll face.
PAPER TAG WAS AN 'AUTHORIZED AGENT' TAG
NBC 5 Investigates has learned more about the paper license tag found on the black Mercedes used in the chase.
Law enforcement sources said the tag is an “authorized agent tag,” a type of paper tag that is only supposed to be used by dealership employees and not the general public. Those tags are often used by dealers moving vehicles, for example, from an auto auction to a dealer lot.
The dealership that issued the tag told NBC 5 it's not sure how the tag wound up on the car involved in the chase. The tag was issued in September and expired two days ago.
Police told NBC 5 that authorized agent tags have become one of the latest targets for crooks who obtain them in order to counterfeit and sell them. Because the tags are supplied by the Texas DMV in a PDF format, investigators said they can be easily scanned and then altered.
In a police pursuit, an authorized agent tag can pose additional challenges, according to officers who investigate fraudulent paper tags. Since agent tags are registered to dealerships and not to a particular vehicle, it can make it very hard for police to locate the driver if they get away.
For a year, NBC 5 Investigates has been reporting on how fraudulent paper tags have been used on cars involved in a wide range of crimes statewide, because those tags can be so difficult for police to trace, effectively creating what officers call “ghost cars” that help crooks elude capture.
In McKinney on Monday, law enforcement officers from more than 20 different agencies gathered for training on how to identify and investigate fraudulent paper tags.
Experts from the Travis County Constables Office Precinct 3 travel statewide sharing intel on paper tags, including details on how crooks use PDF copies of real tags issued by the DMV to create counterfeit ones.
Last week, the Texas DPS announced they had redesigned the temporary tags being issued by dealers and that the new look would roll out next month. The new paper tags contain several security enhancements designed to prevent fraud.
GRAND PRAIRIE OFFICER DIES
A Grand Prairie police officer, Brandon Tsai, was memorialized Monday. Tsai died last week after crashing while pursuing a driver with a phony paper tag.
The driver of the vehicle Tsai was pursuing had a fictitious paper tag that officials said had been recorded on hundreds of vehicles.
The driver of that vehicle was eventually identified and arrested. He now faces charges of evading arrest and detention causing death and tampering with evidence.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest information.
