Texas cops pull armed suspect from burning car
Fri, Jul 29 2016
According to NBC DFW, Fort Worth police were dispatched to Avington Way on the evening of July 16 to investigate reports of a burglary. The burglary victim told police he had arrived home to find three individuals hauling his property out of his house. When he approached them, one of the suspects pointed a handgun at him and told him to stay back. Then all three suspects climbed into a silver Dodge Avenger and sped away.
FWPD officers spotted the Avenger a short time later on Sycamore School Road and, after the car refused to pull over, the chase was on. Police chased the burglary suspects through the city at speeds approaching 100 mph until the Avenger blew a red light and was t-boned by an oncoming pickup at the intersection of California Parkway and James Avenue.
As the pursuing officers closed in on the disabled car, it suddenly caught fire. One suspect bailed out and ran for it, but the remaining two were trapped inside with the flames quickly mounting. Despite the spreading fire and the threat of armed suspects in the vehicle, police officers rushed to pull the men from the wreck. The driver was removed easily, but the passenger was unconscious and trapped behind a crushed passenger door.
The scene was caught on the officers' body cameras as they pried the door open with their bare hands. Eventually the officers got the semi-conscious man out of the passenger seat just as the car was completely engulfed in flames.
"It was pretty dramatic. We recruit people that can think on the fly, think quickly, and perform under pressure," FWPD Sergeant Marc Povero told WFAA.
All three suspects are facing charges for burglary, and the driver was charged with evading arrest.
- News Source: WFAA, NBC DFW
By Jason Marker
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