A Texas man accused of speeding away from a traffic stop eventually ran out of road, but police say that didn’t stop him from trying his luck on foot. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Dylan Cordero and his passenger both ran after state troopers used a PIT maneuver to bring their Nissan Maxima to a stop.
The incident began at approximately 8:20 p.m. on September 12 when an El Paso County deputy spotted a blue Nissan Maxima committing multiple traffic violations. The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the 12500 block of Montana Avenue.
Police say Cordero refused to stop and instead continued eastbound along Montana Avenue at a high rate of speed. The sheriff’s office did not specify how fast the Maxima was traveling or identify the traffic violations that initially caught the deputy’s attention.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers eventually joined the effort to stop the fleeing Nissan. A trooper used a Pursuit Intervention Technique, commonly known as a PIT maneuver, to bring the vehicle to a stop in the 4000 block of Square Dance Road.
Pit Maneuver Turns Vehicle Pursuit Into Foot Chase
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Once the Maxima stopped, police say Cordero and his passenger, 34-year-old Gerardo Antonio Hernandez, got out and ran. Whatever distance the pair hoped to put between themselves and law enforcement didn’t last particularly long, as deputies apprehended both men shortly afterward.
Authorities said neither man caused any further incident while being taken into custody. The sheriff’s office also did not report any injuries resulting from the pursuit, PIT maneuver, or subsequent foot chase.
Cordero was charged with evading arrest or detention with a vehicle and a separate count of evading arrest or detention. El Paso County jail records break his $15,000 total bond into $10,000 for the vehicle-related evading charge and another $5,000 for evading arrest or detention.
Passenger Already Had an Active Theft Warrant
Hernandez’s situation became more complicated after deputies discovered he already had an active criminal warrant. Jail records show that the warrant stems from a July 23 offense involving theft of property valued at $100 or more but less than $750, carrying a $3,000 bond.
In connection with the September 12 incident, Hernandez was additionally charged with manufacture or delivery of between four and 200 grams of a Penalty Group 1 controlled substance, carrying a $25,000 bond. His remaining charges of evading arrest or detention and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair each carry another $5,000 bond, bringing his total to $38,000.
Jail records show Cordero and Hernandez were both booked into the El Paso County Downtown Jail on September 13, with no release date listed in the available records. Sheriff Oscar Ugarte warned that fleeing law enforcement puts everyone on the roadway at risk and thanked Texas DPS for helping bring the pursuit to what he described as a safe conclusion.