San Angelo Man Says Odessa Murder Suspect Stole His Tahoe

SAN ANGELO, TX — According to Joe Cuevas of San Angelo, “The craziest thing happened to me today…” He wasn’t kidding. The fugitive ditched the black 2014 Ford Mustang he stole from the Odessa homeowner he murdered. The location of the ditching was about 1/2-mile from his job site in Irion County. Cuevas works for a piping and fencing company who and was apparently working on a fence line near Mertzon when the fugitive appeared seemingly out of no where and stole his Tahoe at gunpoint.

Cuevas said the fugitive pulled a gun on one of his fellow workers, hopped into the Tahoe and nearly ran Cuevas over when he gunned the accelerator to continue fleeing from DPS, the sheriff’s deputies, and whoever else was trailing him by this time.

The Tahoe became the fugitive’s primary mode of transportation. Over the radio, we heard the DPS chasing him. He would crash the Tahoe through a fence line to avoid being apprehended, leading authorities on a four-wheel drive chase until making sharp reversals back onto the pavement of FM 2469 west and northwest of Mertzon. At one point, DPS radioed that a trap for the fugitive and Cuevas’ Tahoe was set miles down a hill on 2469. When the fugitive — who law enforcement has not named — drove to the top of the hill while on the road, he spotted the trap — a line of DPS vehicles and another line of spikes across the road. The fugitive made an abrupt 180-degree turn and drove into the pastures, busting another hole in the barbed-wire fence line. Eventually, the fugitive wrecked the Tahoe and proceeded on foot.

The fugitive remained at large as of 6:15 p.m. Monday, April 15, 2024. Two helicopters and a PC-12 Pilatus command post aircraft continue to circle an area west-northwest of Mertzon where the fleeing subject was last seen. Meanwhile, Tom Green County Sheriff Nick Hanna has stationed assets, including an armored vehicle, on the west side of Tom Green County. He said his office was ready to assist if needed.

“Now my vehicle is totaled but he is still at large. Just thankful to God that we are ok at C&C pipe and fencing,” lamented Cuevas. He added that his stolen vehicle was a gold 2015 Chevy Tahoe with a tan interior. He sent a photo of the Tahoe during better days.

Meanwhile, the black 2014 Ford Mustang that he ditched earlier in Irion County was just seen on top of a Home Motors flatbed headed for the wrecking yard on Christoval Road.