Suspect caught by dog after standoff at Fort Worth home near Haltom City, police say
A man who barricaded himself in an abandoned house in east Fort Worth following a police chase was arrested on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Haltom City police said that the standoff ended when they took John Garcia into custody with the help of officers from Fort Worth, North Richland Hills and Richland Hills.
Garcia, 41, had active felony warrants on a parole violation and tampering with an electronic monitoring device, police said. He was on parole on weapons and drug-related charges, police said.
The standoff occurred in the 1000 block of Haltom Road in Fort Worth after a brief car chase that started in Haltom City. Officers had tried to make a traffic stop on Garcia, who was driving what they believed to be a stolen car, police said in a news release.
After the suspect ran into the abandoned home, officers tried to communicate with him in both English and Spanish, according to the release. Garcia refused to surrender, and officers sent a drone into the house, which gave officers a view of the suspect boarding up windows “indicating his intent to prolong the standoff,” police said.
Officers then decided to fire tear gas into the house. Garcia tried to run away, but he was caught by a police dog, authorities said.
Garcia suffered what police described as minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. Haltom City police said they expect him to face additional charges including evading arrest related to the chase and the standoff.
Police initially announced the standoff in a post shortly after noon on Monday, March 17, and asked residents to avoid the area.
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM.
