DPS director: Driver in fatal chase had other prior arrests

Source: The Monitor, McAllen, TexasAug.迷你倉沙田 21--MCALLEN -- The driver accused in a fatal police chase that left six dead was already out on bond for three offenses, the Texas Department of Public Safety director said Tuesday.In his first public comments following the Aug. 13 fatal chase near Alton, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw confirmed Hector Guadalupe Ramirez was out on bond for two prior stolen vehicle charges and a count of fleeing law enforcement in Starr County.The Monitor reported that Ramirez had already been arrested and released on bond this month after Mission police say he stole a Jeep Liberty and attempted to cross to Mexico at the Roma International Bridge. DPS had not publicized Ramirez's arrest history in the days following the chase that ended with a fatal wreck.McCraw's comments regarding the chase came in a guest column in response to a Monitor editorial published Sunday."It is clear at this time that the only two certain ways to have prevented this tragedy would have been for the suspect in this case to obey the law and pull over upon seeing the flashing lights of the trooper vehicle," McCraw said, "or the other option would have been for law enforcement to completely surrender its duty to enforce the law by not engaging the suspect once he fled and committed a felony."Texas Highway Patrol Sgt. Enrique Chavez saw 18-year-old Hector Guadalupe Ramirez driving without a seat belt, court records show.Ramirez fled from Chavez when he tried to pull him over and slammed into three vehicles at the intersection of Mile 7 and Western roads, killing six out of seven members of a family riding in a Chevrolet Suburban. DPS later determin迷你倉價錢d that the Ford F-250 pickup truck Ramirez was driving had been stolen.Ramirez was formally charged Thursday with six counts of murder and remains at the Hidalgo County Jail without bond.Published Sunday, the Monitor editorial questioned DPS's lack of transparency after the fatal chase.Opinions in Monitor editorials are a consensus of the newspaper's three-member editorial board: Publisher Stephan Wingert, Executive Editor Carlos Sanchez and Opinion Editor Sandra Sanchez."The job of effective law enforcement involves constant choices by those who we entrust as peace officers. And in this case, choices were made that resulted in the deaths of innocent victims," the editorial reads. "We acknowledge that none of this would have happened if the suspect had not fled from the law. But law enforcement agencies should have written contingency plans directing well-trained peace officers on the appropriate response when a suspect flees."The pursuit is not the first time that DPS's pursuit practices have come under criticism. In October, a DPS sharpshooter opened fire from a helicopter on a fleeing pickup in an attempt to pop its tires. In the process, Trooper Miguel Avila fatally shot two Guatemalan immigrants apparently being smuggled in the truck's bed. An Hidalgo County grand jury continues to consider whether he will face criminal charges as a result of the shooting.In January, DPS changed its policy, barring troopers from opening fire during chases to disable vehicles when lives are not threatened.iortiz@themonitor.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) Visit The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) at .themonitor.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉庫