A two hour police chase ended in a crash with Fort Worth SWAT in Arlington on Wednesday.
The man, who police later identified as 42-year-old Joe Gonzales, was driving a white, four-door Nissan on Interstate 30. Gonzales led police on a chase between west Fort Worth and Arlington that lasted more than two hours.
The chase ended with a crash at about 4 p.m. when a Fort Worth SWAT BearCat slammed into the side of the car, causing it to strike a center concrete barrier on eastbound I-30 near Ballpark Way in Arlington.
Fort Worth police and SWAT members surrounded the vehicle with guns drawn, pulled Gonzales out through a back seat window and handcuffed him.
Paramedics treated Gonzales at the scene for what appeared to be minor injuries before transporting him to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth police said Gonzalez faces charges of evading arrest and felony possession of a controlled substance.
They said they found a considerable amount of methamphetamine inside the car.
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Other charges could be filed pending the completion of an investigation.
The Chase
The pursuit started at about 2 p.m. on Belknap Street in Fort Worth, police said, after officers initiated a traffic stop during a narcotics investigation.
The female driver stopped, exited the car and was cooperating with officers when police said Gonzales jumped over the center console into the driver's seat and sped away.
Gonzales led officers west on I-30, exited at Ridglea Avenue, turned left on the overpass and entered eastbound I-30.
The chase slowed to a near-crawl at Oakland Boulevard, while Gonzales spoke to crisis negotiators on the phone for more than an hour. During that time, police blocked off several ramps onto eastbound I-30 to keep vehicles off the interstate, which caused traffic delays.
Eventually, Gonzales sped up significantly before exiting onto North Collins Street in Arlington. After a brief chase on surface streets, he drove back on eastbound I-30.
Earlier in the pursuit, an officer attempted to stop the vehicle with a spike strick, but police said it was too dangerous because the suspect's vehicle came too close to the officer deploying the spike stick.
Because the chase was moving so slowly for quite some time, people pulled over to take photos. Fort Worth police urged them not do this.
<ctd 2> citizens: for your safety, please do not stop to take pictures, stay in your vehicle. — Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) May 27, 2015
The woman who was driving at the time of the initial traffic stop was detained, interviewed by police and released at the scene.
Fort Worth police said an internal investigation will take place regarding what appeared to be an officer striking Gonzalez with his weapon as SWAT officers pulled Gonzalez through the window of his car.
