TheTrucker.com

Trucker charged after bizarre chase in Houston

Reading Time: < 1 minute
Trucker charged after bizarre chase in Houston
Police use heavy machinery to enter the cab of this 18-wheeler after the driver refused to exit. (AP Photo)

HOUSTON — A truck driver who evaded police in an extensive Houston-area chase Dec. 27 has been identified and charged. According to authorities in Harris County, Texas, Trinidad Cutshall was charged with evading arrest and detention in a motor vehicle.

The dramatic confrontation on a stretch of Interstate 10 east of Houston came hours after sheriff’s deputies began trying to pull over the truck, which could be seen on television news footage crawling along the interstate.

Deputies finally brought the 18-wheeler to a stop on the shoulder of the interstate by using spike strips to puncture its tires.

Even after his vehicle was disabled and he was forced to stop, Cutshall ignored police commands to exit the truck for hours, and continued to rev the engine of the disabled vehicle, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Even after it was stopped and surrounded by police cruisers and armored vehicles, one wheel of the truck could be seen continuing to spin, with its tire punctured.

Police eventually used a bulldozer-like vehicle to pulverize the truck’s cab before sending a dog into the truck and then pulling the driver out at around 4 p.m. In TV footage, officers could be seen walking the man to a stretcher, his face bloodied.

Police said they think Cutshall suffered from “some level of impairment” at the time of the incident, and that he was seemingly unfazed when deputies deployed tear gas in the truck’s cabin.

John Worthen

Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.

Avatar for John Worthen
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
For over 30 years, the objective of The Trucker editorial team has been to produce content focused on truck drivers that is relevant, objective and engaging. After reading this article, feel free to leave a comment about this article or the topics covered in this article for the author or the other readers to enjoy. Let them know what you think! We always enjoy hearing from our readers.

3 Comments

The truth will come out about this person and where he got his cdl! Certain states hand out DL’s and CDL’s like candy to people, who have reason to be behind the wheel of and car let alone an 80000 lb vehicle!!

COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE