A standoff has ended after troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety chased a stolen big rig to a dead end at a service road in Hunt County near Greenville. [[365166071,C]]
Authorities surrounded the 18-wheeler with guns drawn at Texas State Spur 302 and Interstate 30/Highway 67 just after noon Tuesday.
After about an hour-long standoff, SWAT team members fired two separate shots into the cab of the 18-wheeler. Within minutes, the passenger door of the truck opened and a dog jumped out. Officers removed the dog, whose name is Jake, from the area to safety.
Moments later, authorities pulled the driver out of the vehicle and down onto the ground.
Texas DPS Sgt. Lonny Haschel said 60-year-old David A. Arnold was quickly taken into custody and that he is the designated driver of the 18-wheeler.
Haschel indicated Arnold faces evading arrest and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charges. Arnold remains in the Hunt County Jail. He appeared before a judge Thursday morning, where his bond was set at a total of $85,000.
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The City of Greenville Animal Control has taken possession of the dog, which appeared to be a male golden retriever mix. According to the shelter, Jake was not injured in the standoff.
Tags on the Jake's collar included a last name and phone number. Shelter staff told NBC 5 Arnold's family plans to pick up Jake.
Until then, he will remain in protective custody. He is healthy and in good spirits.
How the Chase Started
Lonny Haschel with the Texas Department of Public Safety said the truck was reported stolen because it was overdue at its destination by 30 hours.
Haschel said the truck, loaded with produce, was designated for delivery in Maryland.
Haschel said the truck was owned by Intrade, a company based in California. NBC 5 confirmed the cab of the truck belonged to Liberty Lines, Inc. in Fresno, Calif.
GPS led the company that owned the truck to notify Texas DPS that they believed the big rig was in North Texas.
The chase began in Sunnyvale just after 11 a.m. when the driver of the 18-wheeler refused to pull over and kept going. The pursuit then went through Garland and into Greenville in Hunt County.
That's when DPS and the Kaufman County Sheriff asked the Dallas County Sheriff's office to assist, according to sources.
"Public safety is number one. Always, always, always, " Haschel said. "So we had the cooperation of multiple agencies from Dallas all the way east, in helping with closing intersections and such, so we didn't have an innocent victim in this."
The 18-wheeler had been traveling on the service road with several blown tires, spiked earlier in the chase.
"The pursuit itself went through multiple jurisdictions. There were several agencies trying to assist with tire deflation devices. They were effective. However, the speed of the chase was relatively low compared to pursuits we see with other vehicles." Haschel said.
Haschel said the chase and standoff came to a successful conclusion.
"No injuries to the public, no injuries to law enforcement, no injuries to the driver, and no injuries to the dog" he said.
NBC 5's Jeff Smith, Holley Ford and Cory Smith contributed to this report.
