On Friday, June 28, 2024 at 8:28 p.m., the White Settlement Police Department responded to a Flock Safety License Plate Reader Alert involving a blue passenger car that entered the city on White Settlement Road and West Loop 820. The alert indicated that the vehicle possibly contained a wanted fugitive. It was later determined that multiple agencies including the Southlake Police Department, North Richland Hills Police Department, Fort Worth Police Department, and State of Texas Pardon and Parole Board had issued felony warrants for the suspect. 

Multiple officers attempted to locate the fugitive vehicle. At approximately 8:38 p.m., an officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the 500 block of Parkside Drive. A female passenger exited the vehicle and the male driver, who was believed to be the subject of the multiple felony warrants, began fleeing the scene in the car. As the driver continued to evade the initial officer, the responding supervisor was attempting to catch up to the pursuit to serve in a controlling supervisor role. The suspect turned down the road that the responding supervisor was driving on and the suspect’s car collided with the left front of the supervisor’s marked unit. The suspect continued to flee after the collision. The supervisor was not hurt.  

The pursuit continued through city streets and southbound on Dale Lane. The department successfully deployed a StarChase GPS dart to ensure the suspect would not be able to remain concealed if he were able to get away during the chase. The suspect then fled eastbound on I.H. 30 and turned northbound on I.H. 35. The suspect then exited the freeway and changed directions by going southbound on I.H. 35. Multiple tires on the suspect’s vehicle were damaged and disabled. The Fort Worth Police Department assisted at multiple locations during the chase by deploying spike strips. The suspect vehicle came to a stop on the inside shoulder of the southbound main lanes of I.H. 35 near downtown Fort Worth. The suspect fled from the vehicle on foot by crossing the northbound lanes of I.H. 35 and then crossing to a service road. Multiple officers from White Settlement and Fort Worth gave chase on foot. 

As the suspect approached an occupied black pickup truck on the service road, the suspect opened the passenger door and ordered the woman passenger out of the truck. Investigators believe that the suspect was attempting to carjack the vehicle. Officers saw what was going on and continued to give loud verbal commands. As one of the WSPD officers starting closing the gap between the suspect and the potential carjacking victims, the suspect ran from the opened passenger door towards the rear of the pickup truck. The officer deployed a taser based upon the imminent public safety threat to immobilize the suspect’s further attempts to evade on foot and possibly carjack another victim. 

The suspect was taken to a local hospital to get medically cleared, a standard practice for the White Settlement Police Department when a suspect is stunned by a taser device. The suspect was then transported to the White Settlement Jail, where he remains. 

“This video footage demonstrates the inherent risks that our communities and officers face when suspects refuse to follow the rule of law and jeopardize public safety through ongoing criminal activity,” said Chief of Police Christopher Cook. “The suspect made the decision to run in a vehicle and on foot. Our officers put themselves in harm’s way to apprehend a dangerous fugitive from justice that had no regard for the safety of others. I am grateful that no innocent motorists or officers were injured during this reckless disregard for law enforcement. Officers were definitely at risk running across the main lanes of a freeway at nighttime to prevent a carjacking. Special thanks to Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes and his team for the assistance last night.”

The suspect is identified as:

31-year-old Joshua Dylan Gilchrest

Charges:

• White Settlement – Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant with a Deadly Weapon
• White Settlement – Evading Arrest and Detention with a Vehicle
• White Settlement – Possession of Marijuana
• Southlake – Theft of Property Less Than $2,500 with 2 or More Previous Convictions
• North Richland Hills – Theft of Property Less Than $2,500 with 2 or More Previous Convictions
• North Richland Hills – Second Count of Theft of Property Less Than $2,500 with 2 or more Previous Convictions
• North Richland Hills – Evading Arrest and Detention with a Vehicle
• Fort Worth - Theft of Property Less Than $2,500 with 2 or More Previous Convictions
• State of Texas – Felony Parole Violation – Pardon and Parole Board – NO BOND

Video Link: https://youtu.be/TPaJseaYC7I

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