A vehicle chase through Dayton on Thursday, July 9, followed by a manhunt involving a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter, K-9 teams and multiple law enforcement agencies ended with the arrest of two illegal aliens with criminal detainers after they fled into a wooded area off SH 146.
The arrests were part of a larger operation conducted by the Liberty County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that resulted in 12 illegal aliens with criminal detainers being taken into custody. Two additional suspects remain at large.
According to Liberty County Pct. 4 Cpl. Robert Adams, the operation was conducted under an agreement arranged by Pct. 4 Constable Robby Thornton that allows his office to work alongside ICE in identifying and arresting illegal aliens with criminal detainers encountered during law enforcement operations.
Although the agreement has only recently been formalized, Adams said Pct. 4 deputies have been working with ICE for approximately eight months. During that time, they have assisted in the arrest of about 150 illegal aliens with criminal detainers.
The operation began in the City of Dayton when Adams reportedly stopped a dually pickup for operating without required mud flaps. During the stop, authorities determined three illegal aliens with criminal detainers were inside the vehicle, and all three were taken into custody without incident.
A second traffic stop by Adams reportedly involved a vehicle traveling in the center turn lane of SH 146, a lane intended for turning movements and entering traffic rather than travel. That stop resulted in the arrest of six illegal aliens with criminal detainers. One of the six subjects attempted to flee but was quickly detained.
Another traffic stop, this one by Constable Thornton and Deputy Brian Nichols, led to the arrest of one additional illegal alien with a criminal detainer, bringing the total to 10 before the final encounter.
The final stop quickly escalated into a pursuit.
According to Adams, deputies and ICE agents encountered three vehicles blocking River Ranch Parkway. As officers approached, the occupants scattered. Four of the subjects jumped into a white Honda Accord and sped away, nearly striking an ICE agent’s vehicle as they fled.
The ICE agent initiated a pursuit, with Adams joining the chase. Adams said the ICE agent maneuvered his vehicle in front of the fleeing suspects in an attempt to bring the vehicle to a stop. Instead, the fleeing vehicle struck the rear of the ICE vehicle before the occupants bailed out and fled on foot.
Two of the suspects ran east of SH 146 while the other two fled west into a wooded area. The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety joined the search, with DPS deploying a helicopter overhead while Harris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 teams searched the ground.
Adams pursued the two suspects who fled west, which ended with a struggle in the ditch and the suspects jumping over a barbed wire fence and fleeing into the woods. They remain at large. The other two suspects who fled east were spotted by DPS helicopter and tracked down by K-9 units and taken into custody.
The identities of the 12 people arrested have not been released. All were immediately turned over to ICE custody.