Speeding Meth Head Ends Evasion With Climactic Crash Into Street Sign

Some people just don’t know when to quit, and 23-year-old Raymond Cole Smith is one of those people. A local criminal with a lengthy rap sheet, Smith has found something he’s good at: doing drugs, carrying around weapons he’s not allowed to have, and then getting busted by the SAPD and spending the night in jail.

With eight prior arrests Smith added another one on Thanksgiving Day last week, after demonstrating superior driving skill by crashing his car into a traffic sign as the culmination of a brief police chase.

The events began just after midnight on Thursday when Sergeant C. Heronema observed a white 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck run a red light at Dallas St. and Jefferson St.  Sgt. Heronema turned on his patrol unit’s emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop on the truck, however, the driver refused to stop and kept on rolling westbound on Dallas St. 

Smith, attempting a dramatic chase a la YouTube viral videos, punched the gas and continued to evade police through several streets and an alleyway before losing control at the northeast corner of Waco St. and Wichita Ave. and climactically crashing into a street sign. Smith, reported not injured, was then ordered out of the vehicle and taken into custody. Police did not comment as to whether Smith’s ego was still intact after the crash.

A search of Smith’s person following his arrest revealed the usual suspects: a small bag of marijuana, a switchblade knife, drug paraphernalia consistent with drug trafficking, and a small bottle that contained approximately 1.05 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Police also located a bag of approximately 2.08 grams of methamphetamine in the street where Smith first lost control of the truck

Police K9 Team Officer J. Fincher and Service Dog Fritz responded to the scene to conduct a search of the truck.  Once inside the truck, Fritz “sniffed” the interior and gave positive alerts to the compartment area of the front seat.  Officers searched the area and located a Crown Royal bag that contained various items of drug paraphernalia as well as another bag that contained a substance that field-tested positive for approximately 17.6 grams of methamphetamine with packaging. 

Smith was charged with Driving with an Invalid License/No Insurance, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Evading Arrest Detention with a Vehicle, and Manufacture Delivery of a Controlled Substance PG1 >=4G<200G.

No one was injured during the pursuit or the crash.