NEW BRAUNFELS — The man accused of fleeing a fatal car accident in New Braunfels has been arrested in Austin.
Austin Taylor Meade, 26, of North Las Vegas, Nevada, walked into the Austin Fire Department Friday morning to turn himself in, police confirmed. APD said Meade waited at the fire station until police arrived to arrest him.
The arrest comes after police were alerted to a possible stolen vehicle around 8 a.m. Wednesday at an apartment complex on County Line Road in New Braunfels. When officers arrived near the scene, a driver got into the stolen vehicle, a silver truck, and sped off down County Line Road towards Fisher Park.
Near the entrance of the park, the truck ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle, killing the driver inside.
The victim was identified Wednesday afternoon as 39-year-old Amber Rachelle Williams. A GoFundMe account and Facebook fundraiser have been set up to collect donations for her family and funeral.
Meade got out of the wrecked stolen vehicle and took off on foot. Police believed that he then proceeded into Fisher Park and stole another vehicle at knifepoint.
Wednesday afternoon, police said that the suspect actually had flagged down another vehicle, a silver 2012 Kia Forte. The driver of that vehicle took the suspect to her home in the 1100 block of Hazelwood Drive. Police say that at that point, the suspect grabbed a kitchen knife, threatening the woman and taking the keys to the vehicle.
He fled and was later spotted in Austin by police in the stolen vehicle around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, But officers lost him in South Austin in between William Cannon and Ben White.
Meade turned himself in Friday morning.
Meade's father, Craig Meade, still lives in Nevada. He learned about the incident and had a message for his son.
His son's criminal history dates back to when he was 18 years old. Craig said that just a week ago, Austin told him he was going to turn himself in for a warrant in Arizona for Grand Theft Auto.