Arrest made after chase, standoff

Friday, July 21, 2006

(7/21/06 - PASADENA, TX) -- Police chased a white pickup truck for 90 minutes Friday through highways, rural roads and a golf course until the driver turned into a creek, his front tires shredded by authorities' spike sticks.

Dozens of police officers surrounded the pickup for more than an hour, many with guns drawn, as the driver, identified as Kenneth Ray Pool, 58, sat inside. It was unclear whether the driver, hidden by tinted windows, was armed at the time. He surrendered to authorities around 6 p.m.

About 20 or more police cars joined the chase that started at about 2:45 p.m. Friday after the driver allegedly robbed a dry cleaning business in Pasadena east of Houston. Police said the driver fired shots at authorities after the robbery and allegedly threw a gun from the truck during the chase.

During the pursuit, the driver often veered into oncoming traffic lanes, forcing other cars off roads to avoid collisions. The fleeing pickup scraped several cars, including at least one police cruiser, and stopped only briefly after hitting a red pickup's passenger side.

A 24-year-old woman and her 7-year-old son in the red pickup were not hurt, police said.

The chase spread from south Houston to Pearland and back, with the driver alternating between Highway 288, rural roads and finally the Sam Houston Tollway south of downtown Houston. At one point, the driver turned off Highway 288 and sped through a golf course before returning to the highway.

The chase ended at about 4:30 p.m. when the driver, who was northbound on the tollway near the Houston Ship Channel, left the roadway and drove into a creek.

Minutes earlier, police had managed to throw down spike sticks as the driver zipped through a toll booth. Shredded rubber fell off the front tires and the driver kept going on the metal rims until veering into the creek.

Police shut off all northbound and southbound lanes on the tollway while trying to communicate with the driver.

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