Update: The Bell County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday charged 27-year-old Jessie Frank-Edgar Nichols, of Killeen, with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, in connection with a police chase and standoff that ended peacefully earlier this week. Justice of the Peace Claudia Brown arraigned him on Thursday and set bond at $75,000.
Update #2: A second suspect who police said was also involved in the vehicle chase was apprehended. Read more about the other suspect by clicking here.
Original Story:
A six-hour standoff between Killeen Police, SWAT officers and a male suspect accused of leading police on a chase Tuesday afternoon ended peacefully at a Killeen home.
Killeen Police said officers tried to stop a stolen vehicle at the intersection of Crested Eagle Drive and Stan Schlueter Loop, but the driver refused to stop -- leading them on a chase. During the pursuit, KPD Spokesperson Ofelia Miramontez said one of the police cruiser's brakes locked up and caused it to strike a pole at the intersection of Anna Lee Drive and FM 440.
At that point, more patrol units joined the pursuit. Miramontez said the 27-year-old driver, whose name was not immediately released, stopped in the 2100 block of Moonstone Drive, where he ran inside the home.
Police deployed the Tactical Response Unit at 5:16 p.m. The team tried to contact the man, but he did not respond. Officers could be heard telling the suspect to come to the front door with his hands up -- but to no avail.
At 10:20 p.m., officers entered the home and found the man, who was taken into custody and transported to the Killeen City Jail. Miramontez said his name would be released once he was formally charged by the Bell County District Attorney's Office.
Nobody was hurt during the standoff.
Around 3:50 p.m., Willow Springs Elementary School was placed on lockdown as a precaution while police were in the area. The school's principal left the following message with parents:
This afternoon about 3:50 p.m. we placed the school on lockdown while police in the area of the school conducted a search for a suspect in a matter not related to the school. The children who were still at the school at that time were kept inside and they are safe. Students can be released to their parents but we do not want students walking home alone after tutoring today.
There were about 50 students at the school at the time of the lockdown. Officials said everyone at the school was fine, and the students were released when it was safe.