Police chase ends in crash, kills one early Saturday, Grand Prairie cops say
One person was killed and a man was arrested after a police chase ended in a crash on eastbound Interstate 30 near Dallas early Saturday, Grand Prairie police said.
Llonis Arevalo, 26, was charged with murder, evading arrest causing death, resisting arrest and collision involving death, police said.
A patrolling officer had initially tried to stop Arevalo, who was driving a Chevrolet Camaro in the 1100 block of East Main Street in Grand Prairie, at around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, according to a statement.
The officer saw Arevalo rapidly decelerating the vehicle and changing lanes in an attempt to evade police, officials said.
The officer, believing the Camaro to have been stolen, initiated a traffic stop for a known violation, police said. After pulling into a parking lot, Arevalo fled as the officer began to get out of his cruiser.
A pursuit onto eastbound Interstate 30 followed. There, Arevalo struck a vehicle that was stranded in the lanes of traffic as he tried to exit at Hampton Road South, police said.
Arevalo and an unidentified passenger ran away from their car and the officer gave chase, according to the statement.
The officer caught Arevalo in the median, where a “prolonged struggle ensued” before backup officers arrived, police said.
The driver of the stranded vehicle was seriously injured and was taken to a hospital, where they died, according to the statement. The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the dead person once family has been notified.
Arevalo is a “documented gang member” who was out on bond for 11 felony counts at the time of the crash, police said.
Grand Prairie police are leading the criminal investigation and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office is leading the crash investigation, according to the statement.
