A sexual assault suspect is dead after a police pursuit that started in Balch Springs.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s office identified the suspect in Tuesday night’s dramatic, high-speed chase as 26-year-old Noah Timmons.
The pursuit started at about 8:30 p.m. near a house on Rodney Lane in Balch Springs where officers said they were trying to arrest Timmons for four warrants of alleged aggregated sexual assault to a child.
Arrest warrants obtained by NBC 5 state the victim in the alleged sexual assaults was a 6-year-old girl.
Police said when they attempted to serve the warrants, Timmons was already in his vehicle and took off along Interstate 635/LBJ Freeway.
He reversed himself “several” times on LBJ, going both north and southbound, according to Balch Springs Chief of Police Ed Morris. The first time he reversed course on the interstate, he fired a total of nine shots at the officers. Morris said no officers returned fire at Timmons.
Investigators said one vehicle, operated by the Dallas Sheriff's Department, was struck by gunfire, but no one was injured.
In video shot by Chopper 5, the driver was seen in a white truck carrying a trailer. Morris said the trailer was carrying construction supplies.
"He didn't want to be stopped," Morris said during a press conference. He defended the department's decision to chase Timmons as the warrants contained felony charges.
Multiple police departments assisted in the pursuit including Balch Springs, Dallas, Garland and Mesquite.
After nearly two hours, the driver finally stopped when he hit a guardrail along Interstate 30 near Rockwall, sending a shower of sparks and debris onto the roadway.
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Authorities said Timmons then shot himself. The Dallas County medical examiner did not immediately confirm the cause of death and said an autopsy is still pending.
No officers were injured during the pursuit.
Court documents show that Timmons was on probation for aggravated robbery from a 2010 case. Garland police said Timmons stole a woman’s purse at an apartment complex parking lot, and then fired a shot at her head.
NBC 5's Jeff Smith contributed to this report.
