Written by Cnn Business’ Carma Hassan
One man’s bold confrontation with deputies and a warrant for possession of marijuana may put him behind bars.
Stephanie Decena, 37, was charged with endangering a child and evading arrest, and her three children were taken into protective custody, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office tweeted.
Harris County sheriff’s deputies approached Decena’s vehicle Saturday afternoon after it became unsafe to exit the vehicle, a sheriff’s office spokesman, Victor Senties, said.
When deputies attempted to question Decena about the vehicle, he got out of the truck, which then sped away.
“The driver led authorities on a wild chase. Deputy Reynolds ended the chase when he lost sight of the vehicle at a nearby high school parking lot, in order to prevent a serious accident,” the spokesman said.
The truck sped through a neighborhood, where a sheriff’s deputy again tried to make contact with the driver, according to Senties. However, he refused to get out of the vehicle, and eventually the deputy attempted to use a PIT maneuver, which causes the vehicle to rotate so that the tires lock and then run over the suspect.
The suspect ultimately pulled over and got out with two children and another child in the truck, and began to run away, Senties said. But the driver dropped two of the children, including one in a car seat, as he ran back toward the truck, the spokesman said.
The sheriff’s office was able to bring the suspect back to the truck as he began to struggle with deputies, Senties said.
“The driver got out of the vehicle with the baby and tried to put the child in the front seat while he struggled with deputies. He was taken into custody and the child was placed in the care of Child Protective Services,” Senties said.
The three children who were in the truck are not related to the suspect, but it’s unclear how they entered the vehicle.
“This case took a wild turn in about 30 seconds. But this entire incident had everyone around it asking, ‘What could have happened?'” Senties said.