SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - A chase involving a stolen box truck ended Wednesday morning with the driver being shot by a DPS trooper on State Highway 31.
The driver later died at a hospital, according to DPS spokesman Sgt. Adam Albritton. Texas Rangers have taken over the investigation, which is protocol.
Law enforcement officials had managed to stop the driver of the box truck on State Highway 31 west of Tyler after using spike strips on Toll 49.
Texas DPS said in a statement, “Through his driving behavior, the suspect demonstrated an egregious and reckless disregard for other motorists, leading troopers to reasonably believe his actions of harming a bystander were imminent. A THP trooper discharged his firearm at the suspect’s vehicle on State Highway 31 near Tyler, ultimately ending the pursuit.”
According to Smith County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Larry Christian, the chase had come from Wood County and down U.S. 69 into Smith County and then onto Toll 49, where the spike strips were deployed.
Tyler Police Department PIO Andy Erbaugh later added that the pursuit began in Forney.
Christian said the driver headed westbound on Highway 31, where he was stopped near County Road 2661.