Forney, Texas – A police pursuit of a stolen vehicle in Garland ended in Kaufman County earlier this morning after the suspect crashed the vehicle on westbound U.S. Highway 80 in between Forney and Terrell, Texas.
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Garland Police Department spokesperson Joe Harn said they took 20-year-old James Matthew Painter of Dallas into custody following the accident. According to Harn, at approximately 6:30 a.m., on Wednesday morning, January 29, 2014, an unmarked Garland police officer observed the stolen silver Honda sedan parked near the front door of American Pawn store, which was closed at the time, located on west Interstate 30.
When the officer approached Painter, who was out of the vehicle and walking towards a pickup in the parking lot, he turned around, entered the vehicle, and began to leave the parking lot. Before doing so, the Garland officer activated his emergency lights to stop the vehicle which was reported stolen out of Garland.
According to authorities, Painter then led police on a high speed chase towards Rockwall County on eastbound Interstate 30 after jumping the curb of the American Pawn parking lot. Painter exited Interstate 30 at State Highway (SH) 205 and headed south towards Terrell, Texas, where an awaiting Rockwall County Sheriff deputy deployed spike strips in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
The chase continued on SH 205 before Painter narrowly missed causing a head-on collision on FM 148, acording to a witness. Painter then turned onto westbound U.S. Highway 80. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper deployed spike strips on U.S. Highway 80 which resulted in all four tires being flattened.
According to authorities, the car then spun out of control and crashed into a guardrail which caused the vehicle's airbags to deploy. Painter was taken into custody without any further incident.
Painter is currently in the City of Garland Jail where he awaits arraignment for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Painter is also booked on charges from Balch Springs including possession of drug paraphernalia with a $664 fine and failure to appear with a $259 fine. Painter also has a bond of $60,000 for a burglary of a habituation charge from a Kaufman County warrant issued on January 27, 2014.
There are three additional bond amounts totaling $1,431.56 from the Mesquite Police Department for speeding, no operator license, and failure to comply with motor vehicle safety, according to Harn.
When the officer approached Painter, who was out of the vehicle and walking towards a pickup in the parking lot, he turned around, entered the vehicle, and began to leave the parking lot. Before doing so, the Garland officer activated his emergency lights to stop the vehicle which was reported stolen out of Garland.
According to authorities, Painter then led police on a high speed chase towards Rockwall County on eastbound Interstate 30 after jumping the curb of the American Pawn parking lot. Painter exited Interstate 30 at State Highway (SH) 205 and headed south towards Terrell, Texas, where an awaiting Rockwall County Sheriff deputy deployed spike strips in an attempt to stop the vehicle.
The chase continued on SH 205 before Painter narrowly missed causing a head-on collision on FM 148, acording to a witness. Painter then turned onto westbound U.S. Highway 80. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper deployed spike strips on U.S. Highway 80 which resulted in all four tires being flattened.
According to authorities, the car then spun out of control and crashed into a guardrail which caused the vehicle's airbags to deploy. Painter was taken into custody without any further incident.
Painter is currently in the City of Garland Jail where he awaits arraignment for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Painter is also booked on charges from Balch Springs including possession of drug paraphernalia with a $664 fine and failure to appear with a $259 fine. Painter also has a bond of $60,000 for a burglary of a habituation charge from a Kaufman County warrant issued on January 27, 2014.
There are three additional bond amounts totaling $1,431.56 from the Mesquite Police Department for speeding, no operator license, and failure to comply with motor vehicle safety, according to Harn.