A low-speed chase involving a stolen 18-wheeler ended in Greenville on Wednesday. The event caused the closure of, and later, delays on, eastbound Interstate 30.
The chase began in Kaufman County on Interstate 20. At about 11 a.m., a state trooper identified the truck as one that had been reported missing. Officers were unable to get the driver to stop, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.
The truck continued on Interstate 20, then turned north on Interstate 635 before turning east on Interstate 30 and traveling through Rockwall. After clearing the highway near Royse City, law enforcement deployed tire spikes, but the truck continued east despite tire damage slowing its speed down to about 40 MPH.
In Greenville, the, the truck left the highway and drove onto a service road leading to the former Mary of Puddin Hill store's location. The service road dead ends near the Cowleech Fork of the Sabine River, and the driver stopped at that dead and at about 12:25 p.m.
A standoff lasting about an hour, involving state, county and municipal law enforcement ensued. A SWAT unit was able to identify a dog inside the truck's cab, but the driver was not visible, officials said.
SWAT officers inside a Hunt County Sheriff's Department armored vehicle shot tear gas cannisters through the windshield and into the truck’s cab just before 1:30 p.m. The driver let the dog out and himself exited the cab to surrender moments later.
The Dallas Morning News reports that a dispatcher at Intrade Industries, the California-based company that owns the truck, said it was stolen but declined to release more details. Some media organizations have reported the truck being full of produce.
Interstate 30 eastbound was re-opened at about 1:45 p.m. The dog is in the custody of Greenville Animal Control and is reported to be well.
