Man Leads Sheriff, Police on 30-Minute High-Speed Car Chase Down U.S. 67 Through Southland

A Ballinger man led Tom Green County Sheriff’s deputies and the San Angelo police on a 30-minute high-speed chase from FM 2335 near the Boy’s Ranch, down U.S. 67, and winding deep into the Southland neighborhood Thursday evening.

According to Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman Christina Lopez, deputies were called to Boy’s Ranch Road and FM 2335 southwest of San Angelo on a report of a suspicious vehicle just after 6 p.m. Deputies identified the vehicle, a white Ford Ranger, at 6:23 p.m. and attempted to perform a traffic stop.

The driver fled as the deputy approached him. The deputy began a pursuit of the Ranger onto U.S. 67 eastbound towards San Angelo. Deputies deployed spikes across U.S. 67 near Sam’s Club to stop the fleeing Ranger, but were unsuccessful.

San Angelo police assisted as the Ranger sped into Southland southbound on Southland Blvd. At one point, the Ranger sped down Hallye St. that turns into a dead end. Police thought they had him. He was determined, however, and continued to flee in the Ranger off-road.

At one point during the chase, the Ranger rammed a San Angelo police vehicle. The officer wasn’t injured. The chase continued back to the northeast through fields and occasional pavement until reaching Twin Mountain Dr. where the fleeing suspect turned east on Twin Mountain Dr., pointed towards Knickerbocker Rd.

A San Angelo police officer was able to quickly deploy spikes across Twin Mountain Dr. near School House Dr. and this time the spikes sdisabled the Ranger. The suspect came to a stop and was surrounded by police.

Map of where the fleeing suspect was apprehended:

The driver who fled was identified as 67-year-old Evencio Luna of Ballinger. Lopez doesn’t know why he tried to run yet. But so far, he was booked into the Tom Green County Jail and charged with aggravated assault on a public servant, a first-degree felony, and a state jail felony of evading arrest in a vehicle.

He was apprehended at 6:53 p.m.

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Above: Evencio Luna of Ballinger. (TGCJ)

In Tom Green County, Luna has two other arrests. Once in 1980 for unlawfully carrying a weapon. He was placed on a “Border Patrol hold” then, according to his jail record. A second arrest for DWI happened in 1994.