A three-hour long standoff on the East Freeway in Houston came to an end on Wednesday afternoon after an 18-wheeler driver was detained by authorities.
The incident began around 1 p.m., when Harris County Sheriff’s deputies pursued the truck as it crawled along the shoulder of the I-10 main lanes near Sheldon Road. Even though the truck eventually came to a halt, with one wheel still spinning, the driver refused to exit the vehicle.
Law enforcement officers surrounded the truck, with some drawing their guns, while crisis negotiators attempted to communicate with the driver. Despite multiple attempts to stop the truck using spike strips, the driver remained inside the vehicle.
Additional law enforcement personnel, including a Harris County sheriff’s helicopter, arrived at the scene. Eventually, at about 3:35 p.m., heavy equipment was used to tear the door off the truck’s cab and gas was seen filling the vehicle. The driver, however, remained stoic.
At 4 p.m., a K9 officer was sent into the truck, and SWAT teams were able to retrieve the driver and take him into custody. The driver was loaded into an ambulance, and no weapons were initially found in the big rig.
The standoff caused major traffic delays, with the main lanes of the East Freeway being shut down in both directions near Sheldon Road. Drivers were caught in gridlock for hours, and some were seen getting out of their vehicles and walking around on the road while waiting for the situation to be resolved.
It is unclear at this time what prompted the pursuit of the 18-wheeler. The unusual incident brought back memories of earlier high-speed pursuits on Houston’s roadways.