HOUSTON, Texas -- SWAT officers moved in on a chase suspect Thursday morning on Highway 288 in Houston after a bizarre chase lasting more than 90 minutes. Officers in tactical gear pulled the man from the SUV. He was taken into custody and placed in an ambulance.
After 45 minutes into the pursuit, police bumped the vehicle, prompting the driver to pull over on the South Loop. Police pulled their weapons, but the driver very slowly moved along the freeway, with officers trailing behind.
It all started in Baytown as a 911 call for a disturbance. Baytown police say a man reportedly pistol-whipped a woman. When officers arrived, the man got into the vehicle and took off, with police in pursuit.
The scene has moved onto Highway 288 northbound.
Law enforcement agencies pursued the driver across the east and south sides of Houston, into the Galleria area at one point.
Just before 8:30 a.m., Houston police 'bumped' the rear of the vehicle in a PIT maneuver. The driver pulled over to the shoulder on the South Loop eastbound at Kirby, but the chase didn't end there.
Police drew their weapons, but the driver didn't fully emerge from the SUV. He put his hands out the window before slowly driving off again, with the door partially open.
He stopped the vehicle multiple times, as police followed slowly behind.
The driver took the SUV across freeways and side streets, at times even leaving the road to drive across sidewalks and grassy areas. One rear tire was completely flattened.