Police are searching for a suspect who got away from them after a chase early Tuesday ended with a stolen car crashing into a house and starting a fire.
Grand Prairie police said that the vehicle was involved in the chase after a traffic stop in which the officer noticed the paper plates did not match the car.
"Inside the vehicle we also noticed the VIN number was missing, there were several burglary tools indicative of that trade inside, and the steering column was all busted up," said Grand Prairie Police Detective Lyle Gensler.
According to police, the pursuit of the stolen car ended when the driver crashed into two parked trucks and then a house in the 200 block of Whitham Street. A foot chase followed after the car caught fire, which then spread to the house. The house was vacant and there were no injuries in the fire.
"The vehicle came to rest, started the grass on fire, started the house on fire," Gensler said. "It seems like the house was under construction."
The neighborhood was blocked off as officers searched the area for the suspect. They believe he is familiar with the area and may be hiding in a friend's house.
Abundio Rodriguez lives across the street from the home that caught fire and said he will be unable to get to the hospital for kidney treatments after his trucks were damaged by the chase suspect.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"It's very hard. I don't work, I'm disabled and I don't know what I'm going to do," Rodriguez said.
Bill George owns the home that caught fire and said it's been vacant for a couple weeks.
"All of the rest of the houses in the neighborhood had someone in them. So that's a blessing, I guess," George said.
Police said they are hoping anyone with information will come forward soon. Officers say they only have a vague description of the suspect in the case. If you have information, call police.
