Austin, TX (Law Wire News) May 27, 2014
Ricardo Teran was arrested outside of Houston this week after allegedly leading local police on a chase that extended for 60 miles and through three counties, according to a news report.
The pursuit began after officers noticed that Teran’s Toyota Tundra was weaving recklessly across the road and ended only after Teran managed to drive across two sets of spike strips and make an attempt to escape on foot. He finally was brought down by a police dog by the name of Bear, according to the Houston Chronicle on May 20, 2014 (“Houston DWI suspect being treated for dog bites after police chase over 3 counties”).
Drivers were kept off the roads by law enforcement as they pursued Mr. Teran, showing that the safety of innocent travelers, often a concern during these high-speed chases, was put at a premium. Teran continued to drive his truck after striking the first set of spike strips, even though he eventually was operating a vehicle that had nothing more than rims and mangled tires as wheels. With his truck inoperable, his failed attempt to flee was short-lived and he was taken to the hospital to be treated for the dog bites that made his arrest possible. The charges against Teran are still pending as he remains in custody, but no doubt will be substantial in number and severity.
Ricardo Teran has added to the statistics of drunk driving in the state of Texas that are daunting and of legitimate concern to law enforcement, judges, and the public in general. Sadly, Texas leads the nation among all states in the number of DUI fatalities. Texas also saw more than 89,000 DUI arrests in 2012 and traffic fatalities involved an intoxicated driver 38% of the time (Drunk driving statistics in Texas, MADD-Texas). There is little question that Texas is a large state with large problems concerning the presence of impaired individuals on its roads.
Tony R. Bertolino, managing attorney with the law firm of Bertolino LLP, was asked to share his thoughts on this police chase and subsequent capture of Ricardo Teran and how this event reflects current issues surrounding drunk driving in Texas.
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