By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Robstown, Texas, police officers rescued an unconscious 18-year-old driver from a burning vehicle early Sunday after a pursuit ended in a rollover crash.
- The chase began around 1:15 a.m. when officers attempted to stop a reported stolen vehicle; the driver fled before losing control at an intersection.
- Officers Danny Martinez and Joshua Rodriguez broke the driver’s side window and cut through a seat belt to free the driver as the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
- The driver was hospitalized with injuries described as not life-threatening.
- The driver had been involved in an earlier chase with Corpus Christi authorities and is expected to face charges related to both incidents.
ROBSTOWN, Texas — Two Robstown police officers pulled an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle early Sunday after a chase involving a reported stolen car ended in a rollover crash, according to body and dashboard camera footage released by the department.
Officers attempted to stop the vehicle around 1:15 a.m., prompting the driver to flee, according to KIII-TV. The vehicle flipped end over end after the driver lost control at an intersection and caught fire once it came to rest.
Officers Danny Martinez and Joshua Rodriguez ran to the wreck and found the driver unconscious inside as the fire spread. “The officers started to work to break the window to get access to the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and while doing that, I think you can see in the video that the car is starting to get fully engulfed,” Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez told KIII. The officers broke the driver’s side window and cut through a seat belt before pulling the driver to safety.
“These two officers ran toward danger and they risked their own lives, to make sure that this individual gets to go home,” Tamez said.
The 18-year-old driver was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. He had been involved in an earlier chase with authorities in Corpus Christi and is expected to face charges connected to both incidents.
In a social media post, the Robstown Police Department said the officers “willingly made a decision to sacrifice their own safety to ensure the safety of a complete stranger,” calling their actions “the epitome of selfless service.”