Suspected DWI driver arrested by SWAT after standoff blocks traffic on I-20 in Dallas
SWAT officers took a driver into custody Friday morning after he stopped his vehicle on Interstate 20 in Dallas and refused to get out following a pursuit with authorities, according to Grand Prairie police and officials with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.
The chase began in Grand Prairie after police observed a driver traveling with a blown-out tire and driving on the rim of the vehicle.
WFAA-TV reported I-20 was temporarily closed at Polk Street in Dallas for some time due to the SWAT incident.
Part of the highway was reopened just after 11 a.m. when the driver was arrested.
Grand Prairie police identified the suspect as Christopher De La Rosa of Dallas. He was in the Grand Prairie Detention Center, where he faces charges of driving while intoxicated and evading arrest.
The chase started about 9 a.m. on an eastbound frontage road of I-20 near Great Southwest Parkway in Grand Prairie.
Grand Prairie police had been in pursuit of the driver, who was suspected of being intoxicated. He fled from officers when they attempted a traffic stop, according to Grand Prairie police.
The driver came to a stop on I-20 at Polk Street and initially refused to come out of the vehicle.
SWAT officers negotiated with the driver, but he repeatedly refused to exit his car, police said. Armored vehicles were used to pin the driver’s car to prevent it from leaving the scene.
The driver surrendered to SWAT officers shortly after his car was pinned between the two law enforcement vehicles.
No one else was in the car with the suspect, Grand Prairie police said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 12:00 PM.
