Sullivan City, TX - Handcuffed Suspect Steals Police Car - Races to Mexican Border - Escapes
Man headed for the border
SULLIVAN CITY - A handcuffed suspect in the back of a patrol car managed to
steal the car and escape across the border.
Police got a tip the man was smuggling illegal immigrants. They say they pulled
him over, arrested him, and put him in the back seat of the patrol car.
"The seatbelt was wrapped around him," says Sullivan City Manager Rolando
Gonzalez. "He slipped out past the handcuffs. And because there was no cage,
he jumped into the driver seat and took off."
Still handcuffed, the man drove the Sullivan city police unit straight for
the border. Officers say the man made a run for it once he got to the water.
They tell us he used the ropes from the ferry to get across the river.
Gonzalez says, "Don't assume anything because you have him handcuffed, belted.
You can't assume it's perfect."
We're told the officer who left the suspect in the patrol unit was reprimanded.
The suspected smuggler remains at large.