By Nicole Lopez
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — A 31-year-old man, wanted on multiple charges out of Tarrant County, was arrested Friday after fleeing police and attempting to carjack a truck on Interstate 35, according to White Settlement police.
At 8:30 p.m. Friday, police responded to a flock safety license plate reader involving a blue vehicle that entered the city on White Settlement Road and West Loop 820.
The alert indicated that the vehicle possibly contained a wanted fugitive, identified by police as Joshua Dylan Gilchrest, according to the release.
About eight minutes later, an officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the 500 block of Parkside Drive when a female passenger got out of the suspect vehicle and the driver, believed to be Gilchrest, began fleeing in the car, police say.
In dash cam video released by police, the suspect vehicle continued to drive despite commands from patrol vehicles to pull over.
The pursuit continued through city streets and southbound Dale Lane. Police deployed a StarChase GPS dart to ensure the suspect would not be able to remain concealed if he were able to get away during the chase. Officers also deployed spike strips.
Gilchrest had police chasing the vehicle on eastbound Interstate Highway 30 and northbound I-35, according to the release. The suspect vehicle also drove over a median from a highway as police continued to pursue him, the video shows.
“Driver, pull over” an officer is heard saying multiple times in the video. The officer also announced the driver was under arrest.
The video then shows the suspect vehicle coming to a stop on the left shoulder of southbound I-35 near downtown Fort Worth. Gilchrest exited the vehicle and fled on foot, crossing northbound I-35 and a service road. Multiple White Settlement and Fort Worth police chased the suspect on foot.
Officers were heard in the video ordering the suspect to stop and to put his hands up.
As Gilchrest approached a black pickup truck on the service road of I-35, he opened a passenger door and demanded a woman get out of the vehicle, according to the release.
Investigators believe the suspect tried to carjack the truck, police say. As officers advanced, Gilchrest began fleeing again and an officer deployed a taser to immobilize the suspect and further prevent him from attempting to carjack vehicles, the release says.
Gilchrest was taken to a local hospital to be medically cleared, a standard practice for White Settlement police when a suspect is stunned by a taser gun, according to the release.
He was then transferred to the White Settlement Jail, where he is currently in custody.
The suspect also hit a responding supervisor’s vehicle during the pursuit, according to police, and fled from the scene. The supervising officer was not injured.
Gilchrest — including the warrants — faces multiple charges:
- Aggravated assault against a public servant with a deadly weapon
- Two counts of evading arrest and detention with a vehicle
- Possession of marijuana
- Four counts of theft of property less than $2,500 with two or more previous convictions
- Felony parole violation with no bond
Multiple agencies, including the Southlake Police Department, North Richland Hills Police Department, Fort Worth Police Department, and State of Texas Pardon and Parole Board had issued felony warrants for Gilchrest, according to the release.
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