02/21/14 Beaumont, TX – Disturbance Call – Female Steals Patrol Car – Drags Officer – High Speed Chase – Crash Into Utility Pole – Totaled

February 21, 2014

panews.com

A high-speed police chase through the south end of Beaumont on Friday afternoon ended when a woman police described as mentally ill crashed a stolen patrol vehicle into a ditch along the southbound service road of Highway 69 near the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center.

Two officers responded to a disturbance between a mother and daughter in the 1100 block of Fulton Avenue in Beaumont at 1:31 p.m. Friday. While police were trying to gather information about the disturbance, the 21-year-old daughter was able to enter Patrol Unit 1497 by unlocking the door through a cracked window, Officer Carol Riley said, a spokesperson for the Beaumont Police Department, said.

The woman struggled with an officer outside the patrol car before she sped away, dragging the officer a short distance down the road as she fled.

Officers pursued the woman throughout the south end of Beaumont until she crashed the patrol car into a ditch and struck a utility pole near the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Center, 5326 Highway 69 South.

Both the officer and the suspect sustained minor injuries. The suspect was transported to a local hospital by Emergency Medical Service (EMS) technicians for further evaluation. The officer refused treatment.

No charges had been filed as of press time. The BPD Traffic Division is investigating the crash.