AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was arrested Friday after leading six different law enforcement agencies on a 65-mile chase.
According to Austin police, two officers in a patrol car were stopped at a light at the intersection of East Seventh and Chicon streets at 11 p.m.
They say they witnessed a white Chevrolet Malibu traveling westbound changing lanes repeatedly without a signal. The officers began following the vehicle and say the suspect was traveling close to 60 mph in a downtown area where the speed limit was 30 mph.
Police say the suspect led them through the city narrowly avoiding other vehicles until getting onto Interstate Highway 35 northbound. The pursuing officers said the suspect was fluctuating his speed between five and 100 mph. The suspect eventually drove onto the shoulder to avoid traffic and got onto U.S. Highway 183.
As the suspect drove down U.S. 183 multiple other law enforcement agencies joined in the pursuit including four patrol and one air unit from ther Department of Public Safety, two patrol units from Leander police, six patrol units from the Williamson County Sheriff’s office, one unit from Liberty Hill police and one unit from Florence police. The Austin Police Department also deployed an air unit to assist their 17 patrol units already in pursuit.
According to the arrest affidavit, Lampasas County Sheriff’s deputies stopped the suspect using a tire deflation device. After a short pursuit on foot the driver, identified as 34-year-old Byron Reyes, and a passenger were detained.
When asked why he did not stop Reyes told police he did not initially believe the patrol lights were for him. He claimed once he realized the police were chasing him he figured he was going to jail anyway and he had one shot to get away.
Reyes was taken into custody and faces a charge of evading in a motor vehicle.
