Photo Nacogdoches County Precinct 3 Constable.
October 2, 2024 - A pursuit of a suspect fleeing Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) State Troopers began in Nacogdoches County ended in Shelby County Friday, September 27, 2024.
Law enforcement officials in Shelby County joined in and assisted as the pursuit entered the county until its completion. Several units with the Center Police Department were prepared for the vehicle at the intersection of State Highway 7 West and SL 500 just before the pursuit came to an end. It was fortunate that as the pursuit was ongoing, crowds of people were still enjoying local football games and had not yet gotten on the road to travel home.
According to information from Texas DPS, Troopers arrested a Nacogdoches man following a vehicle pursuit that began on U.S. Highway 59, and ended near County Road 1168 on State Highway 7.
The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 8:11pm, a Trooper initiated a traffic stop on a 2010 Ford Mustang driven by Jonathan Martinez, 19, of Nacogdoches for failing to display their license plates. It is reported that when the Trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens, Martinez began to actively flee. Martinez actively fled from law enforcement officers for approximately 60 to 70 miles throughout Nacogdoches and Shelby County before blowing a tire and coming to a stop.
This is an ongoing investigation, and according to DPS no further information is available at this time.
The Nacogdoches County Constable Precinct 3 office elaborated further on what occurred via a social media post stating that as the pursuit began, the DPS Trooper involved contacted DPS dispatch and reported the pursuit at speeds over 120 mph and that he was crossing over into Angelina County. Other Troopers joined in the pursuit of the Mustang as it turned around and headed back to Nacogdoches where Nacogdoches Police Department officers, and Nacogdoches Constable Precinct 4 assisted as the evading vehicle traveled Loop 224.
Pursuing vehicles traveled behind the Mustang on University Drive and onto Main Street, three blocks from downtown Nacogdoches.
According to the information from the Precinct 3 Constable office, the chase then turned onto Loop 224 once again before traveling onto State Highway 7 where the Mustang led officers for around 20 miles and into Shelby County before the route finally ended on CR 1168.
