The attempted stop of a man suspected of trafficking drugs ended in a fatal shooting on a busy Dallas-area highway Wednesday afternoon.
The Collin County Sheriff's Office said deputies with the joint North Texas Sheriff's Criminal Interdiction Unit were pursuing 36-year-old Rudy Chavira after he apparently ignored attempts to pull him over.
Chavira, the deputies said, was suspected of carrying a large quantity of narcotics.
A statement from the NTXCIU said the pursuit was headed westbound on Interstate 30 when they ran into heavy traffic near Dalrock Road.
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When Chavira came to a stop in the traffic, deputies approached his vehicle. It was then, officials said, that he began shooting and the deputies returned fire.
When NBC 5's helicopter arrived at the scene, a white SUV was visible with dozens of apparent bullet holes on the windshield, driver's side, and tailgate.
"In the exchange of gunfire, Chavira sustained injuries and was later pronounced deceased at a local hospital. There were no other reports of injuries," officials said.
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In a statement, officials with the NTXCIU said 12 kilos of cocaine were found in Chavira's vehicle.
Sheriff Jim Skinner, of Collin County, and Sheriff Terry Garrett, of Rockwall County, both praised the bravery of the deputies involved in working to stop the dangerous flow of drugs into North Texas.
The North Texas Sheriff's Criminal Interdiction Unit (NTXCIU) began operations in December 2017 to stop the flow of illicit narcotics and human trafficking in North Texas. The unit is a multi-jurisdictional team of specially trained deputies from Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Parker, Rockwall, Smith, Tarrant, and Wise County Sheriff’s Offices.
The Texas Rangers are now leading the investigation into the shooting.
