SAN ANTONIO – An illegal dumping case where a chase, a shooting, and a deadly crash occurred now has a suspect behind bars.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said John Yeates, 39, was arrested Tuesday morning at his home without incident. Salazar said he is facing a felony deadly conduct charge.
The illegal dumping happened at a car lot off U.S. Highway 181 and Loop 1604. Employees of the car lot confronted the suspects, which led to the chase.
George Gomez, 36, was one of the employees who chased the suspects but died in a crash.
“I refused to believe it; it’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” said the wife of Gomez, who asked to remain anonymous.
“What did he mean to this family?” asked KSAT’s John Paul Barajas.
“Everything, he was our rock; he meant everything. The biggest joy his family had was him coming home,” said Gomez’s wife.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Yeates and another person were caught illegally dumping at a car lot in the 12700 block of U.S. Highway 181 on Sept. 11.
Salazar said employees of the car lot confronted Yeates and the other driver.
At some point, weapons were shown from both sides, and Yeates and the other driver took off in a pickup truck, Salazar said. Gomez and other employees then followed the truck.
BCSO said during the pursuit, Gomez fired shots at the truck, but it’s unknown if Yeates or the driver fired back.
“Gomez was firing through his own windshield while pursuing them, and the evidence that we found on Gomez’s car is consistent with that now whether or not they shot back at Gomez is a distinct possibility,” said Salazar.
For unknown reasons, Gomez stopped pursuing the truck and began driving back to the car lot. While doing so, he crashed his vehicle along U.S. Highway 181.
When Gomez was found, Salazar said his vehicle was under trees. Deputies determined Gomez had not been shot but at some point suffered what appeared to be a heart attack.
“Yes, we all have the right to defend ourselves and our property, but again, taking the law into your own hands, chasing someone down, and firing shots at them is certainly not the recommended course of conduct in a case like this,” Salazar said.
“If someone brandished a gun and my family was there, I don’t know how I would have handled that situation. Like I said, George was a protector,” said Gomez’s wife.
According to the BCSO, Yeates has a lengthy criminal history, including child endangerment.
Yeates and the truck driver could face illegal dumping charges, but those have not been confirmed yet. The driver was not named, but Salazar said that person was detained for further questioning.
Gomez’s wife said he leaves behind three boys, a six-month-old, a 6-year-old, and a 16-year-old.
“George, we love you, we miss you. You were the best father any of these boys could have,” said Gomez’s wife.
