A truck driver who just plain refused to cooperate with police ended up in a low-speed but high stakes police chase that ended with a SWAT team robot, police dogs, tear gas, and "less than lethal" ammunition used to tear the driver from his cab on Wednesday in Houston, Texas.
The showdown started when Harris County Sheriff's Office patrol deputies noticed the truck "being driven at less than 10 miles per hour in a moving lane of freeway traffic," an HSCO spokesperson told Overdrive.
At that point, deputies "initiated a traffic stop at 13965 East FW when the driver refused to stop," but didn't exactly speed up either. With the police following the truck, which was hauling a trailer at the time, the slow-speed chase was on.
"The tractor-trailer continued eastbound on the main lanes and still rolling and refused to stop for deputies," according to the spokesperson. "Several stop sticks were deployed to stop his vehicle, finally after 3.7 miles of deputies following he stopped on the main lanes at Sheldon road."
Video of the incident, reported by local news, shows a driver with sunglasses and an eerie sense of calm refusing all orders from police.
The driver "refused commands to exit the cab," according to police. Even a "less than lethal 40mm" hardened foam round was "deployed on" the driver, later identified as 42 year-old Trinidad Cutshall "with no response."
"SWAT was called to assist in exiting him from the cab. By now both lanes of Interstate 10 east and west were completely shut down for driver safety," the police spokesperson said. Using a robot, the "SWAT team members were able to remove the cab passenger door and deploy tear gas into the cab and remove him safely."
Cutshall was then charged with felony evading arrest and detention in a motor vehicle. He is currently recovering in a local hospital "from being under the influence of an unknown substance," as well as "some facial lacerations," police said.
The tear gassing and 40mm round shot probably didn't help his state of health either.
Two videos below from local news station KHOU-11 show the conclusion to the bizarre standoff.
