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Did driver fire shots at officers?
HIGH-SPEED CHASE ENDS WITH ARREST IN WEBB COUNTY
By Marc Robertson
A San Antonio member of a prison-based criminal gang was taken into custody Monday evening, September 19 by officers representing multiple law enforcement agencies after he led them on a high-speed pursuit through three South Texas counties in a stolen pickup truck.
Preliminary reports on the case indicate 44-year-old Robert Lee Linder, a confirmed member of the Tango Blast gang, was at the wheel of a Ford F-250 pickup truck that had been stolen in San Antonio and was traveling south on IH-35 when he was spotted by deputies from the Frio County Sheriff’s Office, who attempted to effect a traffic stop. Linder, however, continued traveling south on the interstate at increasing rates of speed to evade capture.
Sheriff’s deputies in La Salle County, agents of the US Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol troopers had been notified of the pursuit and encountered Linder on the interstate shortly after 8 p.m. Again, Linder failed to stop and was pursued southward until shortly after crossing the Webb County line.
Officers engaged in the pursuit have reported that Linder exceeded 110 miles per hour in his attempt to evade capture. They have also indicated that there is evidence showing Linder firing at least one shot through his vehicle during the pursuit.
According to a brief statement by La Salle County deputies, Linder is believed to have aimed a firearm through the passenger-side window of the stolen pickup truck, possibly in an attempt to force officers to keep their distance from the speeding vehicle.
Deputies also believe that if Linder was in possession of a firearm during the pursuit, he may have thrown the weapon from the vehicle before abandoning the truck and making an attempt to flee on foot.
“We have indicators of at least one muzzle flash,” one of the deputies engaged in the pursuit said after Linder was taken into custody, “although we found no firearm in the vehicle afterwards.”
The pursuit led into Webb County and ended near Milemarker 32, when officers were joined by Webb County deputies and Highway Patrol troopers in bringing Linder into custody.
“The Ford veered off the interstate and came to rest beside the west-side access road,” Deputy Alfred Gonzalez said of Linder’s final attempt to flee. “Linder had tried to make it on foot, but he didn’t get far.”
The suspect was cuffed by La Salle Cpl. Anthony Zertuche and DPS Trooper Jose Graciano. He has been remanded into custody on felony charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and reckless driving.
Linder’s gang affiliation, confirmed by the DPS statewide registry of former prison inmates, was indicated by the tattoo of a spur on the back of one of his arms. The Tango Blast gang is based in Houston but has chapters in other cities, each identified by a sports-related logo.
Linder was transported without further incident to the La Salle County Jail. The stolen truck was towed to the La Salle County impound yard at Cotulla.