SAN ANTONIO — A wanted man is dead after a Bexar County sheriff's deputy opened fire on his vehicle Tuesday afternoon, ending a prolonged pursuit that involved multiple law enforcement agencies, officials said.
It's unclear as of yet whether the man himself was shot, but he later crashed out in the 1200 block of Old Highway 90 at around 3 p.m. A woman in the same vehicle was struck by gunfire and hospitalized, officials said, but is expected to be OK.
It's also unclear whether the suspect who was killed, identified only as a 43-year-old man, was armed.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said his deputies were helping San Antonio police trying to arrest a fugitive wanted for evading arrest and weapons charges. When a sheriff's deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop on Castroville Road, the suspect instead fled.
"The pursuit was initiated and authorized, being that we're in pursuit of a fleeing felon, a known fugitive, a documented gang member," Salazar said, adding the chase continued for several miles.
Patrol units at some point tried to box the suspect's vehicle in as he "tried to ram his way out." A deputy believed to have been with the agency for at least a decade opened fire on the car before it fled again, Salazar said, eventually crashing out in the 1200 block of Old Highway 90 around 3 p.m.
"The suspect was pulled out the vehicle and he died there at the scene," Salazar said.
The sheriff added the suspect may have rammed law enforcement vehicles at multiple points during the pursuit itself, judging from early review of deputy body camera footage.
The unidentified woman who was in the front passenger seat was believed to have been shot by the deputy's gunfire. She isn't expected to face charges in connection with the pursuit.
The deputy who fired is expected to be placed on administrative leave "for several days" and then administrative duty while the investigation unfolds, per BCSO policy.
Staff at the nearby Pre-K 4 SA West Education Center said there were "shots in the area" and the facility was locked down as a precaution before it was given the all-clear.