A police chase through Central and South Lubbock ended with a man taken into custody Thursday afternoon.
The man was publicly identified by Lubbock Police a few hours after the chase as Anthony Jerome Diaz, 34. He was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center.
The chase started at about 50th Street and Interstate 27, where someone reported a suspect driving a stolen car, police said. A short time later, police made contact with the suspect, Diaz, who had parked at a nearby convenience store. He then “got in the car and fled the officer’s request,” police explained.
A few blocks away, LPD said two officers pulled Diaz over at 50th Street and Avenue D.
“He decided he was not going to cooperate,” and drove away, said Lieutenant Jeanelle Wadkins.
Texas Department of Public Safety aerial units tracked Diaz’s movements through the air, LPD said.
“(LPD) units pulled back and disengaged and hopefully he could go to an area where he’d get out of the vehicle and we could take him into custody more safely,” Wadkins said.
During the pursuit, at 82nd Street and Indiana Avenue, a police unit crashed into a van. The injuries were not serious.
Diaz led officers including Lubbock Police, Lubbock County Sheriff’s Deputies, and DPS Troopers to an address near County Road 7610 and County Road 2220. The suspect went into a house, where the “homeowner gave (police) permission to go in there and get him out.”
“[The homeowner] does know [Diaz]. I’m not sure the relationship, but he did not want him in his house, he did not have permission to come in his house,” Wadkins said.
With weapons drawn, and the K-9 unit out, officers surrounded the house and took the man into custody with no further incident just after 4:30 p.m.
Diaz was booked on a warrant for issuing a bad check, a charge of criminal trespassing, Evading in a Vehicle, and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle.
UPDATE: Bonds totaled $27,500.
