A high-speed police chase spanning Johnson and Tarrant counties ended late Saturday with a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy seriously injured and a wanted felon in custody, authorities said.
The pursuit, sparked by a tip about a suspect with outstanding felony warrants, led to a fiery crash that left one deputy hospitalized.
Around 9:00 p.m., Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputies received information from a bondsman that Christopher Roth, wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Johnson County and evading arrest in Dallas County, was at a local residence. At 9:27 p.m., Deputy Cortez attempted a traffic stop on Roth’s vehicle, traveling northbound on County Road 608, for an inoperable license plate light. Roth fled, initiating a chase that crossed into Tarrant County.
At 9:34 p.m., Deputy Bribiesca, assisting as the secondary unit, lost control of his patrol vehicle on Retta Road near Berry Road, crashing into a tree at high speed. The vehicle burst into flames, and Bribiesca briefly lost consciousness. Deputies Fetterolf and Corporal White quickly arrived, pulling Bribiesca from the burning wreckage, while a nearby resident used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames.
Bribiesca, who suffered a broken arm requiring surgery and multiple lacerations, was treated at a Fort Worth hospital and has since been released, with expectations of a full recovery.
The Sheriff’s Office commended the “quick and heroic actions” of Fetterolf and White for ensuring Bribiesca’s survival and thanked the citizen who assisted with the fire.
Meanwhile, Deputy Cortez continued pursuing Roth, who crashed into dense vegetation and fled on foot. With assistance from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, and Mansfield Police Department, Roth was apprehended.
After receiving medical clearance for minor injuries, Roth was booked into Johnson County Jail on his original felony warrants plus a new charge of evading arrest/detention with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.