Wanted 17-Year Old Captured After High Speed Chase In Smith County
It was a very busy afternoon for Smith County officers who were conducting surveillance at a local truck stop and came across a wanted felon that would lead them on a high speed chase into Tyler.
According to a press release from the Smith County Sheriff's Office, investigators were in the area of the Pilot Truck Stop located at FM 14 and Interstate 20 when they spotted 17-year old Ernesto Castellon, who has several outstanding felony warrants. When officers attempted to take him into custody, Castellon fled the scene and in the process struck a SWAT Team member and knocking him to the pavement.
The report says that he fled south on FM 14 toward Tyler reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Castellon entered the Tyler city limits and continued south on Church Street with Smith County Deputies close behind. As Castellon approached the T-intersection of Pabst St. and Berta, a Smith County Deputy struck the rear of his vehicle.
Castellon then lost control and ran off of the road into a grassy area. He was quickly taken into custody without anyone being injured. A search of his vehicle uncovered a large amount of illicit narcotics.
Castellon was transported to UT Health Tyler by Deputies for precautionary measures and was released while the Smith County SWAT Team member, thankfully, was in good condition and was treated at a local emergency room.
So now on top of his existing warrants that he ran for, Castellon will now face more charges including Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer (Felony 1), Evading Arrest with a Vehicle (Felony 3) and numerous Manufacturing/Delivery of Controlled Substance charges. If convicted he could be spending a lot of time in prison.
Tyler's Most Wanted Suspects