Escaped Inmate Fatally Shot After 100+ Mile High-Speed Chase in Carjacked Vehicle

PECOS COUNTY, TX — Sunday, March 10, 2024, an inmate made a daring escape from the Sutton County Jail in Sonora at approximately 3:30 p.m. After fleeing on foot, the inmate reached a rest stop at mile marker 394 on Interstate-10. There, a female motorist became the victim of a carjacking as the inmate commandeered her vehicle and initiated a high-speed escape heading westbound on the interstate.

The chase ensued with Sutton County Sheriff's Deputies in immediate pursuit. As the inmate led authorities on a frantic dash that spanned over 100 miles, Pecos County Sheriff's Deputies joined the pursuit as the chase entered Pecos County. The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) was quickly involved, deploying a tire deflation device on the interstate in an attempt to halt the fleeing vehicle. Although the device successfully punctured one of the vehicle's tires, the inmate managed to divert to the Bakersfield, Texas exit, racing into an Exxon gas station parking lot. It was there that the inmate, whose means of acquiring a firearm remains unclear, attempted to hijack another vehicle at gunpoint.

A confrontation ensued when a Pecos County Deputy exchanged gunfire with the inmate. The inmate was subsequently incapacitated and urgently transported to an Odessa hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Following standard protocol, the deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Texas Rangers.

The identities of the inmate and the involved law enforcement officers have not been disclosed. The Pecos County Sheriff's Office, along with the Sutton County Sheriff's Office, deferred all inquiries to the Texas DPS, citing its leading role in the ongoing investigation of the shooting.

Amidst widespread speculation on social media regarding the inmate's immigration status, the Devil's River News, Sutton County's newspaper of record, reported that the inmate had been a trustee at the jail. This detail casts doubt on the speculation that the inmate was an undocumented immigrant, as earning trustee status typically requires a longer-term incarceration in a county jail than an inmate on ICE hold stays.

Update at 7 p.m.: Texas DPS confirmed our speculation. The inmate was a U.S. citizen, not an undocumented immigrant.