Austin police chase: Owner of stolen truck speaks on pursuit

Owner of stolen truck in police pursuit speaks out

There are new details in a police pursuit that involved a stolen vehicle in Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas - There are new details in a police pursuit that involved a stolen vehicle in Austin.

Several law enforcement agencies, along with a helicopter, responded to the crash involving a CapMetro bus on May 1.

High-speed chase in Austin

The backstory:

Rion Bronson contacted FOX 7 Austin after reporting on the stolen truck that was involved in a high-speed chase on Thursday, May 1.

"I did not know that a 10,000-pound truck could move like that," said Rion Bronson. "I just saw the dash-cam footage of it sliding in the camera."

Bronson operates a handyman business called Picture Perfect Moving and Mounting.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police chase in Austin

A chase involving a stolen truck ended with a crash in Austin on Thursday morning.

"It was 9 a.m. on a Thursday," said Bronson. "I remember vividly because I had a moving job at 11 a.m. So I was getting out thinking, oh, let me go warm up the truck. Well, I guess it was already warmed up because someone took it."

FOX 7 Austin obtained dash camera video from a chase involving a stolen white F-250 and state troopers late Thursday morning around 11 a.m. in Central Austin.

"I just put AC in it and put about new tires all around," said Bronson. "I'm just seeing him just burn up all those tires."

VIDEO: Downtown Austin police chase

Austin police responded to a police chase in Downtown Austin on May 1. Courtesy: Cary McCall

Officials said the truck was able to lose the highway patrol cruisers for a moment until another officer found the pickup. The driver quickly sped off again and crashed into a CapMetro bus at East 53rd Street and Duval Street near Home Slice Pizza.

The impact of the crash pushed the bus into another vehicle, causing it to hit a telephone pole. Two people got out of the Ford and started running on foot.

"In the same sentence, the officer said it was a high-speed chase, got totaled, and both like this at the time. Both the assailants, they couldn't find them," said Bronson.

According to Texas DPS, the investigation is ongoing. The driver of the stolen truck was arrested, but the passenger was not caught. Officers are still working to identify the second suspect and make an arrest.

What you can do:

"If I don't have no truck and tools, I can't work," said Bronson. "I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to, you know, make it through."

Bronson's business revolved around having a truck, and now he is unsure what to do.

"My truck was a 2001," said Bronson. "So when I called the insurance, I actually had liability insurance, and he told me that they do not cover that."

He has already had to cancel several appointments but remains hopeful that he will get back on his feet.

"I'm trying to just give it to God and see if maybe the GoFundMe can help me out a little bit," said Bronson.

For anyone who wants to donate to help him buy a new truck, here is a link to the GoFundMe.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Katie Pratt and previous coverage

Crime and Public Safety Austin