A high-speed chase ended tragically on the West Side of San Antonio when a Bexar County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a suspected gang member and wanted felon after a car crash, as confirmed by officials yesterday. KSAT reported that the incident began when deputies attempted to pull over the man on Castroville Road. He, however, refused to stop, which led to the fatal confrontation at the intersection of Historic Old Highway 90 West and Highway 151.
During the pursuit, Sheriff Javier Salazar has stated that deputies tried to box in the suspect's vehicle, believing it to be a necessary action to safely apprehend a known fugitive. The chase came to an end when a deputy, perceived to be directly threatened by the suspect's vehicle, opened fire. The suspect was then pronounced dead at the scene. "The suspect was pulled out the vehicle and he died there at the scene," Salazar told KENS 5. A female passenger in the car was also shot in the leg and transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The identity of the 43-year-old man, believed to be a member of the Tango Orejon gang, has not been released. He was wanted for evading arrest and weapons charges. Sheriff Salazar reviewed early body camera footage which seemed to indicate that the suspect had rammed law enforcement vehicles multiple times during the chase. The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in such situations.
The ramifications of the chase and subsequent shooting were immediately felt by the local community. The events unfolded close to the Preschool, where parents and grandparents were collecting their children. "My daughter got the email saying that everything is OK, but the first thing is it’s too close to the school what’s going on," one concerned person explained to KSAT. Staff at the nearby Pre-K 4 SA West Education Center were also to immediately lockdown as a precautionary measure, reverberating fear and unease within an otherwise routine day.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with authorities at the scene for several hours combing for evidence. The intersection where the chase concluded was closed for much time because of the probe.
