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Grand Jury Indicts Quanell X, Police-Shooting Suspect

Community Activist Faces Evading Arrest Charges

POSTED: Wednesday, July 28, 2004
UPDATED: 5:44 pm CDT July 28, 2004

A grand jury indicted a community activist Wednesday with evading arrest during a controversial ride with a police-shooting suspect, News2Houston reported.

Video

Quanell Ralph Evans, 33, also known as Quanell X, was arrested June 11 as he was bringing in officer-shooting suspect Derrick Forney, 24.

Prosecutors said Quanell X deviated from the plan arranged with officers. A low-speed chase went on for more than a mile until two squad cars boxed him in. The activist said he was on the phone with an assistant police chief when he was forced to pull his vehicle over. Quanell X said he believed he was getting a police escort at the time.

Forney was wanted by police for the attempted capital murder of 10-year veteran Houston Police Officer Matthew V. Richard on June 9 outside a southeast Houston home.

If convicted of the felony, Quanell X could face up to two years in jail.

Highway 288 at McGregor

Grand jurors returned the indictment after two½ hours of deliberation.

"Sometimes the right result doesn't happen. I don't believe this is the right result," said Jolanda Jones, Quanell X's attorney.

His attorneys said Quanell X has worked with police to bring in 16 other fugitives.

"He relied on the previous relationship that he had. HPD had no clue what was going on between one or another," Jones said.

Prosecutors contend the activist knew police wanted him to stop, and by law, should have stopped. They said he is not being singled out because of his past criticism of the police or the court system.

Quanell X at Rights Rally

"He's just being asked to follow the law like any other citizen," said Denise Nasssar, a prosecutor. "The defendant thought he was above the law, thought that he could call the assistant chief of police and not have to follow the law -- that he should be treated differently. And I think all this says is he's not going to be treated differently than anybody else that's driving out on the road in Harris County."

Prosecutors said Quanell X's case has overshadowed one they consider much more serious -- the case against Forney.

Forney was also indicted Wednesday. He faces a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer.

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