A driver fleeing San Antonio police blew through a stop sign and slammed into a woman's car on the South Side Friday night, then abandoned the white Jeep and ran off on foot, leaving the 45-year-old victim to be rushed to a hospital. Police say the driver will face charges when found.
The incident happened around 8:41 p.m. Friday near South New Braunfels Avenue and Avondale Avenue, according to WOAI. Officers attempted to stop the white Jeep, but the driver took off at high speed and ignored a stop sign before slamming into a Nissan driven by the woman.
Emergency crews transported the woman to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for minor, non-life-threatening injuries, the station's report states. Rather than stop and check on her, the driver left the Jeep behind and escaped on foot, per the same account. Police say the driver will face charges including evading arrest or detention with a vehicle and causing injury in a crash if identified and apprehended.
The Legal Stakes for a Fleeing Driver
Under Texas Penal Code § 38.04, evading arrest or detention using a motor vehicle is generally a state jail felony for a person with no prior conviction under the section; it is a third-degree felony in specified circumstances, including a prior conviction. A third-degree felony carries a potential sentence of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. Separately, failing to stop and render aid after a collision involving personal injury can carry prison time. Had the victim's injuries been classified as serious bodily harm rather than minor, that same statute would elevate the failure to stop and render aid charge to a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison — though the woman in this case was reported to have sustained only minor injuries.
A Department Under Scrutiny Over Pursuits
San Antonio Police Department General Manual Procedure 620 bars officers from initiating vehicle pursuits for routine traffic infractions, city ordinance violations, nonviolent misdemeanors, or nonviolent felonies, according to the City of San Antonio. Officers attempted to stop the Jeep before the driver ran a stop sign. SAPD has enforced that pursuit policy internally before — the San Antonio Express-News reported in January that a detective was suspended for launching an unauthorized chase downtown that violated the department's rules against pursuing non-violent offenses.
Federal crash data compiled by USA Today covered 1979 to 2013, according to KENS 5. SAPD studied its pursuit procedures in 2013 and adopted a restrictive policy in June 2014.
The Risks of Police Pursuits
The South Side crash illustrates the risks of high-speed pursuits: a woman was hospitalized after the fleeing Jeep struck her car.
Crash analysis from the Texas Department of Transportation reported by the Gamez Law Firm found alcohol-involved crashes tend to peak between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. — a window that overlaps with Friday night's crash timing. No arrest has been announced, and the driver's identity, the reason officers moved to stop the Jeep, and whether the vehicle was linked to any prior warrants remain unknown.
