After searching for three vehicle burglary suspects Sunday afternoon, a Lufkin officer spotted them Monday morning on his way home from work and confronted them.
A man reported his white 2018 Ford Fusion stolen from his home early Sunday morning in the 100 block of Lost Pines Circle. Around the same time, there were also reports of vehicle burglaries in the Brookhollow subdivision. One was in the 1400 block of Woodland Drive and another was in the 100 block of Bending Oak Street.
A DPS Trooper was assisting in patrolling the Brookhollow area for the burglary suspects when he got into a pursuit with the stolen Ford Fusion at 3:40 a.m. Sunday. Three men bailed out of the car near Water Oak at Spanish Moss Drive and fled from the trooper on foot. Officers spent the next couple of hours searching for the suspects, but they were unable to locate them.
Around 6:15 a.m., an officer who had been involved in the search was on his way home, still in uniform, when he saw two men who matched the suspect descriptions walking down Old Union Road, away from the Brookhollow subdivision. The officer called dispatch and asked for units to be sent that way. He then followed the men to a nearby gas station where he saw them asking random people for a ride.
To prevent a Good Samaritan from unknowingly giving a ride to two men who allegedly just committed multiple felonies, the officer confronted the suspects before on-duty officers arrived. That is when one of the men, later identified as Billy Horace, 21, of Lufkin, resisted and punched the officer in the mouth and face. The other suspect fled on foot and was not located.
Though Horace fought, the officer managed to take him into custody. The officer suffered a busted lip along with swelling and redness to his face.
At the time of his arrest, Horace was in possession of a backpack where inside officers found two pistols with ammo, work-style gloves, two flashlights, a manicure set, and a cellphone. Horace was charged with assault of a public servant and unlawful carry of a weapon.
Two additional motor vehicle burglaries were reported in the 1500 block of Wildbriar Drive Sunday morning. Authorities believe they are connected to this incident. The burglaries remain under investigation and additional charges may be pending.
