SAN ANGELO, TX — A suspect got away from San Angelo police Tuesday (May 8) after the suspect fled police in a black 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Police were attempting to stop the man, identified later as Justin A. Lee, 36, because of a report of “suspicious activity” in the Lakeshore Village Neighborhood.
Police originally responded to the 7700 block of Sentinel Circle south of Lake Nasworthy where a resident reported “suspicious activity regarding a male in a black truck” at 4:36 p.m. A complaint was made that the man was driving his truck around the neighborhood opening mailboxes and tipping over garbage cans.
Lee was discovered driving the black pickup a short time later in the 1800 block of Lakeshore Dr. and police attempted to pull him over. Lee didn’t stop, however. He took off I his truck with one cruiser in pursuit.
The chase meandered through San Angelo to U.S. 87 southbound where Lee pointed his truck towards Wall. But before he could get out of town, SAPD placed road spikes, or “stop strips” in the middle of the roadway near Grand Canal Rd. on the south side of town. As reported on the radio, the strips popped two tires. “He’s on rims,” someone reported on the radio.
Like with other chases in the past, riding on rims didn’t seem to slow the suspect down much. He continued southeast on U.S. 87, through Wall and towards Eden.
Before Eden, SAPD coordinated with the Concho County Sheriff’s Office to take the lead of the chase. Additional stop sticks were deployed near Eden, where the police chase had already exceeded 45 miles.
Meanwhile, back in Wall, a San Angelo Police cruiser was seen disabled. It suffered a flat tire during the chase.
In Eden, the black Silverado continued southeast on U.S. 87 after hitting the second set of spike strips. The truck continued into McCulloch County. In Melvin, he left U.S. 87, likely through town until getting on County Road 138 that runs east out of Melvin. By now, the chase had gone for over 60 miles, and McCulloch County Sheriff’s Deputies were leading the pursuit.
The chase ended somewhere along CR 138 when Lee lost control of the truck and crashed into a barrow ditch on the side of the roadway. The crash ignited a small grass fire, police said, and then the truck caught fire too, right after deputies apprehended Lee. The truck was destroyed.
Later, police returned to the neighborhood where the chase began and investigated multiple criminal mischief and destruction of U.S. Mail complaints. SAPD dispatched its CSI Division to record the evidence. Police said charges there are pending against Lee following the investigation.
In the meantime, Lee was booked into the McCulloch County Jail where magistrate proceedings extradited him back to Tom Green County to face charges of Evading Arrest/Detention in a Vehicle and for a warrant for drug possession, penalty group 1, in Mills County. Police took him to Shannon Medical Center for a checkup before transporting him to be booked into the Tom Green County Jail. There, he sits until he bails out on a $20,000 bond.
Evading arrest in a vehicle is a Third Degree Felony, punishable with a sentence of 2-10 years in the state penitentiary and up to a $10,000 fine.
The entire episode proves you can run, but you cannot hide from a police radio, especially if multiple agencies are working together. The San Angelo Police Department credited the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office, the Concho County Sheriff’s Office, McCulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety for their outstanding support and assistance during the pursuit and apprehension.
Police said there we no injuries to law enforcement personnel during the chase.
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