HOUSTON – A suspected drunk driver is now in custody after police say he led them on a 60-mile chase through several counties.
It all started just north of downtown on Highway 59 and it ended near the Trinity River near the Polk and San Jacinto County line.
It was a dramatic and dangerous chase. Investigators say it all started at around 10 p.m. when an off-duty officer called the Houston Police Department to report a person that was driving erratically near the downtown part of the city. Moments later, an officer in the area spotted two vehicles driving with their emergency flashers on, tailing a silver Nissan Titan.
According to investigators, the two cars were driving next to one another, and appeared to be trying to block traffic from the truck, which was swerving across the northbound lanes of Highway 59.
A Houston police officer attempted to stop the truck, but the driver ignored the patrol car's lights and sirens and crossed the Harris County line into Montgomery County. He wouldn't stop, taking officers through Houston, Montgomery County and San Jacinto County reaching speeds if nearly 100 miles an hour.
Spike strips got two tires on the Nissan near FM 2090, but the driver kept going. Unsuspecting motorists also hit the spike strips.
The driver eventually stopped after the two remaining tires were blown out. Investigators say the driver then got out and tried to run away, but a Houston Police Department K-9 unit chased after the suspect and managed to stop him.
Emergency responders transported the driver to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, where doctors treated the dog bite.
Officers then arrested the man, who investigators believe was intoxicated.