On Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 1:54 p.m., the White Settlement Police Department was notified by the Fort Worth Police Department Real Time Crime Center that an occupied stolen car was traveling northbound on S. Las Vegas Trail from Calmont Avenue. The Fort Worth Police Department further notified our team that the vehicle had entered our city, as confirmed by a Flock Safety license plate reader, and had pulled into a restaurant in the 8500 block of West Freeway. As Fort Worth Police continued to provide updates via the radio, two White Settlement Police Officers arrived on scene at the parking lot of the restaurant. The stolen car was unoccupied and Fort Worth Police advised the driver was fleeing on foot towards Western Hills Blvd. Both Officers drove their marked units towards the direction the male suspect was running. While this was unfolding, a female passenger fled on foot towards a motel along the I.H. 30 service road.
The male suspect started running the opposite direction back towards the stolen car and jumped inside. The WSPD Officer positioned their patrol car behind the stolen car, a black Jeep Liberty SUV, that was stolen overnight in the City of Fort Worth. The suspect placed the car into reverse and rammed the officer’s Police-marked Tahoe. The officer was not injured during this reckless and dangerous collision. A vehicle chase was initiated. The suspect fled westbound on I.H. 30 and began driving reckless, passing vehicles on the shoulder, and putting other motorists at risk due to excessive speeds. The WSPD supervisor terminated the chase due to the reckless driving behaviors. Unfortunately, the department’s StarChase system was inoperable after the suspect rammed the front of the officer’s Tahoe. The StarChase system is mounted on the grill of the front of the police vehicle and was damaged during the collision.
WSPD Officers joined Westworth Village and Lakeside Officers to take the female passenger into custody at a local motel in the 7900 block of I.H. 30 service road. The female, identified as 33-year-old Kayla Martinez, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance Penalty Group 1/1-B 4-200 grams (methamphetamine).
The Fort Worth Police Department responded to the vehicle chase and located the stolen car abandoned in the 1700 block Shade Tree Lane. Investigators believe the suspect fled from the abandoned vehicle. Anyone with information on the identity of the male suspect (photo attached), please contact WSPD at 817-246-4973 or Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS. The photo attached was the image of the clothing the suspect was wearing immediately prior to the police chase when we entered the restaurant.
“The reckless disregard for the rule of law was on full display Sunday when this suspect ran on foot, rammed a police officer’s vehicle, and endangered our community by fleeing in a stolen car,” said Chief of Police Christopher Cook. “We are optimistic that someone will help our team identify him so he can be held accountable on multiple felony charges.”
Video attached of the chase: https://youtu.be/-iTpS94557I
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