A 51-year-old man thought to be responsible for at least five local store robberies is dead after a police chase that stretched from East Waco to Lorena ended when officers shot and killed the man Wednesday afternoon.
The Waco man, whose name has not been released, is thought to be responsible for a robbery of a Family Dollar store in Bellmead that drew attention on social media after the suspect took Honey Buns and deodorant along with demanding cash from the teller, law enforcement officials said.
Wednesday’s chase began after detectives staked out an East Waco home where officers think the suspect lived, Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said. The man returned to the home in a green Ford Expedition about 12:30 p.m., and officers in marked vehicles attempted to pull him over, Swanton said.
Swanton said the man fled from the officers and eventually entered southbound Interstate 35.
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Officers from a number of law enforcement agencies attempted to stop the vehicle, which reached speeds of 80 mph.
The Expedition left the interstate near mile marker 323 and drove into a ditch after officers attempted to spike the vehicle’s tires.
The SUV became stuck, and it was in that melee that officers from different agencies fired an undisclosed number of times at the vehicle.
Police did not release further details about the shooting, and it is unclear whether the man was killed inside or outside the vehicle. Officers said they found a handgun on the man but did not say if he fired it or raised the weapon at police before he was shot.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley, who ordered the body sent for autopsy.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper D.L. Wilson said the Texas Rangers will lead the investigation to determine whether all officers involved acted appropriately in the incident. The entire chase and its conclusion lasted about 20 minutes.
“We are fortunate that no officers or civilians were injured,” Swanton said.
At least three Waco police officers will be placed on administrative leave after the incident, he said.
Officers from other area agencies were involved in the shooting, but it was not clear Wednesday evening how those departments were responding to the incident.
The deceased man was suspected of robbing:
• A Woodway 7-Eleven, 5801 Woodway Drive, about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
• A Waco Valero, 901 S. Fifth St., about 3:45 p.m. Saturday.
• A Waco Foodmart, 1125 Speight Ave., about 4 p.m. Saturday.
• A Bellmead Murphy USA gas station, 1519 N. Interstate 35, about 1 a.m. Friday.
• A Bellmead Family Dollar, 171 Eastgate Plaza, about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28.
“We had been looking for that truck all over town,” Woodway Public Safety Chief Yost Zakhary said, referring to the green Ford Expedition the man reportedly drove away from one of the robbery scenes.
