SAN ANTONIO – A man has been arrested, accused of stealing a police cruiser and starting a chase before eventually fist-fighting with officers on the city's Northwest Side, San Antonio police said Wednesday.
The incident began just before 3 a.m. when police were investigating a suspicious individual looking into vehicles at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Lorenz Road -- found near Broadway St and West Sunset.
Police said officers spotted the suspect and attempted to apprehend him when he managed to steal the police cruiser following a game of "cat and mouse".
"You got a suspect in possession of police resources including weapons and a vehicle to go with it. That's not a good situation. We have to make sure this person is stopped," San Antonio Police Department Lt. Lee Rakun said.
Officials said they chased the suspect across the city using their Eagle helicopter for nearly 45 minutes with speeds close to 100 miles per hour before road spikes were placed near Interstate 10 and UTSA Boulevard. That's when, police said, the suspect crashed the vehicle into a median before getting out and running across the westbound lanes of I-10 to a parking lot.
Police said the suspect got into a fist-fight with two officers with all three sustaining minor injuries before he was eventually taken into custody.
The 31-year-old suspect had a previous felony warrant out for his arrest, police said. He will now be charged with criminal mischief, evading arrest, and resisting arrest.
Interstate 10 eastbound near Wurzbach had two lanes closed as police worked the scene.
"We've got to weigh out that balance between the safety of bystanders, other motorists and the need to get this vehicle stopped which we obviously needed to do," Lt. Rakun said.
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