Chaos erupted on the streets of San Antonio's Northwest side as police officers pursued two teenagers in a stolen vehicle, leading to a dramatic crash and arrest on Monday evening. The incident, captured in a new video and involving a collision with the stolen car, ended with both teens in custody near Callaghan Road and Horizon Hill Blvd shortly before 5 p.m., as reported by KENS 5.
A witness at the scene, Carlos Santiago, described the harrowing moment to KENS 5, "We saw cop cars actually chasing that blue car up that hill and they rammed into it to stop it on purpose." Post-chase, Santiago and his girlfriend witnessed police with guns drawn on the two suspects. The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), confirming the incident, stated that thankfully, no one was injured during the ordeal.
The driver, a 16-year-old with an existing active warrant, now faces charges for evading arrest and unlawful use of a vehicle. His counterpart, a female passenger, also 16, was arrested on charges of unlawful carrying of a weapon. Although SAPD has not directly addressed questions about their pursuit policy, they did refer to their policy online, which prohibits chases over non-violent felonies unless public safety is at immediate risk, taking into account factors such as traffic volume and the time of day.
While Santiago empathized with the frustration over vehicle thefts, he questioned the decision to engage in such a risky chase, expressing to KENS 5, "It’s definitely risky and I would say not worth it especially when there’s innocent people and somebody’s life could definitely be in jeopardy." SAPD has yet to provide answers regarding the officers' adherence to pursuit policies in this specific case but has promised to release more details about the investigation in the future.
