A police pursuit in Texas took an unusual turn when one of the suspects threw large amounts of cash from the truck they were fleeing in.
The Pearland Police Department said officers were called to a bank on Sept. 16 around 6:00 p.m. after receiving reports of a masked man making multiple transactions with several cards and withdrawing large amounts of cash at the ATM drive-thru.
When officers responded, the suspect entered the passenger seat of a white GMC Sierra and left. The department’s Drone First Responder 1 system and an officer with the department’s Crime Reduction Unit located the truck near a business parking lot on Smith Ranch Road.
The passenger, identified as Tarvares Givens, exited the truck and walked away and was detained by officers, but the driver took off again. Officers pursued the truck when they saw the driver, identified as Levon Steven Jr., throwing cash from the vehicle.
Cash Goes Flying
Dashcam footage released by the Pearland Police Department shows the GMC Sierra traveling down the road as cash can be seen flying from the vehicle.
Officers pursued the truck north on Smith Ranch Road before it continued east on McHard Road and then north into the 1600 block of Max Road.
More than $6,000 in cash was recovered from the street after being thrown from the truck, according to the police department.
The vehicle eventually stopped, and officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop. Steven was taken into custody without further incident.
Both Suspects Are Residents of Florida
Booking information shows that both Givens and Steven have Florida addresses.
Givens was booked into the Brazoria County Jail on Sept. 17 and was charged with failure to identify with a bond of $25,000.
Steven was also booked into the Brazoria County Jail on Sept. 17 and was charged with evading arrest with a vehicle and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair. Steven faces a combined bond of $200,000.
Investigation Continues
According to the police department, detectives are still investigating the incident and looking into additional fraud-related charges. As of the Sept. 23 press release, there was no word on whether the men took more than $6,000 from the ATM.
For now, both men remained in the Brazoria County Jail at the time of writing. Police are still working to determine the full scope of the alleged fraud.
Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.