A man who a caller said had thoughts of ‘suicide by a cop’ led Dallas County deputies in pursuit of Arlington before being arrested near AT&T Stadium, authorities said.
The Dallas Police Department received the call around 4:40 p.m. Thursday about a person in a black Lexus who had a handgun in his lap and was suicidal, according to the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputies responded and found the vehicle at 5 p.m. in a parking lot across from 111 Commerce Street. As deputies began checking on the driver, he pulled out of the parking lot as deputies followed him, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Thursday.
The pursuit bypassed several feeder roads of Interstate 30 and Interstate 35E in Dallas.
The chase continued westbound on I-30 until about 5:20 p.m., when rush-hour traffic became congested. The driver continued to accelerate and pulled off the highway.
Deputies ended their pursuit but could still see the driver in front of them and said the vehicle was now driving with a flat tire.
As deputies exited Randol Mill Road in Arlington to turn around, they saw the driver park in the AT&T Stadium parking lot and ran on foot into the stadium while holding his belt, according to the sheriff’s office.
Arlington police were notified and responded to the scene.
Shortly after, subject was seen fleeing the stadium onto Randol Mill Road. Deputies and Arlington officers “quickly” broached the subject, including an Arlington police negotiator and K9 officers, the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
After a few minutes, the man was arrested without incident.
The man, whom authorities have not identified, had an active probation violation warrant for possession of a controlled substance issued by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver’s handgun was located at AT&T Stadium by Arlington police, according to the news release.