An erratic driver behind the wheel of a wild police chase in northwest Houston created moments of chaos, captured from the air on Wednesday afternoon.
Some of the dangerous moments during the pursuit saw a black Dodge Ram drive into residential yards in some parts of the area, as well as nearly hitting people on the roads.
Houston police told reporters that the chase got underway at about 3 p.m. in the 4500 block of Dacoma Street, which is just off U.S. 290, when officers received a call of a stolen vehicle.
Towards the end, the pickup hit a driveway gate of a residence, prompting at least two people, including a woman, to bail out in the area of Jorent Drive and Montgomery Street in the Acres Homes area.
Police were able to put both in handcuffs.
Darryl Hampton’s sister-in-law watched the dramatic moments of this chase. When the driver crashed into the Hamptons’ front yard, his sister-in-law called him.
“‘We see your house on television,'” Hampton recalled. “‘It was a chase. She’s in y’all’s yard.'”
On the other side of town, Hampton also tuned to see police arresting the driver behind his house. He rushed home to see the damage.
It’s better the fence than the house, or a car, or a person, he said.
During the chase, the driver hit two vehicles. Those innocent drivers tell reporters they both had children in their vehicles, between 2 and 8 years old. Everyone is OK.
One neighbor told reporters that she learned her yard was being torn up when a friend watching chase coverage told her at work.
Sure enough, she came home to tire tracks through her yard.
“You work hard every day, to have nice things, but it’s no guarantee,” she said. “Nothing is guaranteed. And what if she would’ve ran into my house?”
People now have to work to get their yards and cars fixed. Hampton said trying to run from the police is not worth it.
“Don’t run from the police,” he said. “It’s going to turn out just like this, every time.”