SAN ANTONIO – A man who allegedly was trying to run from a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy early Thursday morning died after his car crashed on a West Side road.
The crash happened just before 1 a.m. on W. Military, near Marbach Road.
The driver apparently lost control of the car, smashed through a utility pole, sheering off about 12 feet of it, and then sideswiped a parked tow-truck.
The man, who is believed to be in his 20s or 30s, was ejected from the car and died, according to sheriff’s investigators.
Sheriff Javier Salazar spoke to the media later, saying his deputy never was involved in a chase with the man.
He says the deputy initiated a traffic stop after seeing that driver speeding, then noticed what looked like a small bag of narcotics inside his car.
Salazar says the driver handed over the bag, which contained pills, to the deputy, but then stopped cooperating.
“The suspect then indicated to the deputy that he was carrying a handgun, and so at that point, the deputy verbally asked him to step out of the vehicle,” he said. “The suspect said, ‘No,’ and then he drove away at a high rate of speed.”
By the time the deputy ran back to his own vehicle, Salazar said, he had lost sight of the driver.
As the deputy drove around searching the streets, he came upon the wreckage about a mile from the site of the traffic stop, Salazar said.
Investigators are still working to make a positive identification of the man.
The deputy has been placed on administrative leave for now, then will be on administrative duty until the investigation is complete, Salazar said.