Driver Jumps Off Garage After Chase

Raw aerial of chase highlights Police Chase Covered 50 Miles HOUSTON -- A driver led police on a chase through several cities, southwest Houston and north Harris County for more than an hour Monday afternoon before he jumped off a parking garage and was apprehended, KPRC Local 2 reported. Houston police began pursuit of a white Dodge Caravan at about 1:10 p.m. on Wilcrest Drive at Beechnut Street. After speeding through several side streets and parking lots, the driver got onto the Southwest Freeway and headed southbound. He traveled through Sugar Land and Richmond, then exited the freeway near Grand Parkway. The driver then drove on several side streets, making a U-turn until he drove over a grassy median to get back on the northbound Southwest Freeway, speeding past other vehicles. The chase moved to the northbound lanes of Beltway 8, with several HPD patrol cars in pursuit. The Houston Police Departmentapos;s helicopter tracked the minivan from above. The driver weaved in and out of traffic and drove on the shoulder lane as the minivan moved into north Harris County. He went the wrong way down an entrance ramp to exit the Beltway, narrowly missing several vehicles. At the bottom of the entrance ramp, the driver turned the minivan around to travel in the right direction on the feeder road. He jumped a curb and drove through a parking lot to avoid a red light at an intersection. At Ella Boulevard, he got back onto the Beltway for a short time and got off on the feeder and headed north on Imperial Valley. For 15 minutes, he drove in circles in the Greenspoint area, jumping curbs and driving through grass to avoid arrest. Police fired at least one shot at the driver, but he was not injured. The minivan almost hit a Houston Fire Department ladder truck on a side street. It clipped the front of a Houston police car as the driver U-turned around an intersection. An hour into the chase, the driver pulled into a covered parking garage and drove up the parking ramps. Police blocked the exits in an effort to apprehend him. At about 2:15 p.m., the driver ran across the top floor of the parking garage before he jumped off the sixth level to the level below. Police apprehended him after he hit the ground. Officials said the driver injured his foot during the jump. He was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was not released. Investigators said the driver was the target of an ongoing criminal investigation by the West Side Tactical Division, but did not elaborate. The chase covered approximately 50 miles. The suspectapos;s name was not released. POSTED: Monday, July 6, 2009 UPDATED: 6:40 pm CDT July 6, 2009