Minor accident triggers major headaches

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

What started as a fender-bender turned into an arrest and a handful of felony charges for an Austin man and a traffic nightmare for Lockhart drivers on Monday afternoon.

Shortly before noon on Monday, dispatchers with the Lockhart Police Department contacted officers regarding reports of a reckless driver on southbound Highway 183 near

Pin Oak Street. According to complaints, the driver of a white Honda had clipped a passing semi truck and left the scene.

Within moments, while looking for the vehicle, an LPD officer spotted the vehicle – as it struck another car in a rear-end collision near the corner of Highway 183 and Hickory Street. The officer watched as the driver of the then-inoperable car fled the scene on foot, headed for the residential neighborhood behind Lions Park. Officers gave chase, and eventually used a Taser to bring the suspect into custody.

Although he initially gave a false name to investigators, the suspect was finally identified as 21-year-old Angel Vasquez, of Austin. No stranger to trouble, Vasquez has an extensive criminal background, which includes an active warrant on an Assault-Family Violence charge out of Austin.

His troubles intensified as the investigation progressed through Monday afternoon.

The Honda Vasquez was driving was determined to have been a stolen vehicle. A Smith & Wesson .357 was found in his possession, as was an undisclosed amount of marijuana. An open container of alcohol was in the passenger’s side floorboard of the vehicle.

Additionally, the passenger with Vasquez, who was taken into custody after the second accident, was identified as a 16-year-old who had been reported as a missing person. Police declined to identify the girl, but said that she was released to her parents on Monday afternoon.

It was unclear how the two are connected, or why they were in Lockhart on Monday morning.

As of Tuesday evening, Vasquez was being held in Caldwell County Jail on a litany of charges, including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Failure to Identify a Fugitive from Justice and Evading Arrest or Detention. His bond had been set at $66,000.