Man who exchanged gunfire with officers in Arlington police chase is sentenced to 25 years
A man who fired a gun at Arlington police earlier this year has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
Austin Taylor, 20, was convicted on Monday, Dec. 16, of aggravated assault against a public servant and evading arrest, court records show.
In May, police responded to Taylor’s family home in the 3700 block of Shady Valley Drive when his parents called seeking help after they got into an argument with him over drug use, authorities have said. Taylor was not home when officers arrived.
Arlington police released portions of body- and dashboard-camera footage, which shows officers found him on a nearby street. Officers offered Taylor a ride back to his parents’ house and he initially accepted, but when they asked to pat him down for weapons, he ran, the video shows. Officers said they did not have any cause to detain or arrest him at that time, so he was not pursued.
A while later, Taylor was accused of trying to rob a couple at gunpoint, firing a gun in his parents’ house and then stealing their truck and fleeing police.
When police followed, Taylor shot at an officer and crashed the truck during the chase, the district attorney’s office said. Police found him hiding under a vehicle, and two officers fired multiple shots at him.
Taylor was shot three times by officers during the standoff and was taken to a hospital after the shooting to be treated for the gunshot wounds, authorities said.
Taylor was on probation for previously assaulting two EMS workers, the district attorney’s office said in a social media post.