ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said a man who admitted to investigators that he intentionally attempted to hit as many police cars and officers as he could during a wild chase and crash, apparently also confessed to being on an extended methamphetamine binge.
The dangerous incident began just after 6 p.m. Sunday in Poteet, when investigators said 47-year-old Reynaldo R. Ruiz intentionally rammed a Poteet police patrol vehicle at a stop sign.
What happened next covered much of Atascosa County and involved a large contingent of law enforcement officers from numerous agencies.
Investigators said Officer J. Salazar was shaken by the initial crash, but he pursued the vehicle that hit him until the driver turned around and crashed into the officer again, this time head on.
Nearby residents helped the officer from his crumpled car while other officers chased the man on foot and caught up with him, according to investigators.
Thinking the suspect was contained in the back of a patrol vehicle, officers were surprised Ruiz was able to slip one of his handcuffs off and then jump into the drivers seat of the vehicle and take off.
A DPS trooper arriving on scene saw the erratic driving and they said when Ruiz headed for a fire truck and first responders, the trooper fired three shots at the stolen patrol vehicle.
A reckless chase continued towards Pleasanton, where they said Ruiz attempted to run down a Pleasanton officer.
On Main Street, they said an Atascosa County deputy again fired on the vehicle to stop the rampage.
With officers still in pursuit, they said Ruiz headed back through Jourdanton, and when he was a few miles north of town on Highway 16, he collided with a truck driven by Poteet Police Chief Bruce Hickman. Hickman did not require medical care but Ruiz did, and he was taken to Methodist Atascosa Hospital and then to jail.
Ruiz is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapon and felony escape. Additional charges are expected, according to the Sheriff.
A statement from Sheriff Soward did not indicate whether Ruiz was armed, but radio traffic did specify that there was at least one weapon in the stolen patrol vehicle.
Poteet resident Donovan Garcia said when a relative tipped him off to the chaos, he went to the area and recorded video at several sites.
Garcia said because it is a holiday weekend, many people were out and about with their families so word spread quickly about the attack. "Nobody could figure it out because there were so many conflicting stories," Garcia said, adding that his daughter, who was returning from a sandwich shop, got caught up in the middle of the drama and recorded video of the chase racing past her car.
"The chase came right at them," Garcia said, adding "It's probably one of the most chaotic scenes that's ever taken place in Poteet in the daytime."
Garcia said after reflecting on how dangerous the event was, he is grateful that law enforcement officers were able to bring the chase to a close away from populated areas.
"In the end the suspect was led away from the community, away from all the people who were doing their thing on a Sunday afternoon with their families and was actually stopped where there was literally one house within half a mile where he was intercepted and stopped and taken into custody," Garcia said.