Armed Suspect Caught After High-Speed Pursuit and K-9 Deployment in Ector County

ODESSA, TX - A suspect who led Ector County deputies on a high-speed chase and assaulted a K-9 officer was apprehended early Tuesday morning after shots were fired near an Odessa Walmart.

The pursuit began around 3:45 a.m. after Ector County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) deputies, monitoring Odessa Police radio traffic, learned of gunfire near the Eastside Walmart. A UTPB officer, hearing the shots from campus, provided details about the suspect’s vehicle, which deputies located near North West County Road and Yukon.

When the suspect refused to stop, a pursuit began and ended in the 11300 block of West Rolling Hills, where the driver ignored commands. ECSO K-9 Yvan was deployed, successfully engaging the suspect, later identified as Marcus O’Neal Thomas.

During the apprehension, Thomas struck K-9 Yvan multiple times and slammed his head into a door. The K-9 officer, a three-year veteran, sustained no injuries. No deputies were harmed during the incident.

Thomas was treated for a dog bite at Medical Center Hospital before being transported to the Ector County Law Enforcement Center. He faces multiple charges, including:

• Three counts of Deadly Conduct with a Firearm
• Evading Arrest in a Motor Vehicle
• Interference with a Police Service Animal
• Criminal Mischief

The ECSO credited teamwork with UTPB and Odessa Police Departments for the suspect’s capture.