Car chase leads to the arrest of two men, one of which put St. Luke's Health on lockdown

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – A Saturday morning incident in The Woodlands involved a police chase, a hospital lockdown and tire spikes, officials said. 

It started around 5 a.m. in north Montgomery County when a resident reported that their vehicle had been stolen. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies were made aware of the stolen vehicle report and kept an eye out for the car. 

While stationed on I-45 near the TX-242 exit, deputies saw the stolen vehicle, along with a second vehicle driving “in tandem,” deputies said. When officials attempted to pull over the vehicles, the two cars split up. 

The driver of the stolen vehicle took the TX-242 exit, where the tires were destroyed by tire spikes officials had placed. The driver, identified as Kenneth Lynch, got out of the car, ran toward a wooded area and was ultimately caught by law enforcement, officials said. 

The second driver, identified as Frank Gallegos, fled to St. Luke’s Health in The Woodlands, crashed his pickup truck into a tree and ran inside the hospital, deputies said. Investigators believe he may have been armed at the time, however no gun was recovered Saturday morning. A gun magazine was located in his truck, which also had been reported stolen, deputies said.

PHOTOS: Man in custody after putting St. Luke's Health in The Woodlands under lockdown

The hospital was put on lockdown as officials tried to locate Gallegos and determine the level of threat to the hospital. Gallegos was later found inside the hospital's chapel and was identified by a nurse who saw him run inside the facility, deputies said. 

The lockdown was lifted shortly after Gallegos was arrested, deputies said.