A Kansas man who allegedly lead authorities on a high speed chase through two states is being held on a $505,000 cash or surety bond in Texas.
Jose Soto-Gomez, 22, of Topeka is currently in custody in Sherman County Texas, according to Sherman County Sheriff Joe Powell.
“He is being held on a $500,000 bond for the charge of aggravate3d assault on a law enforcement officer and $5,000 for felony evasion of law enforcement officials,” Powell said.
Soto-Gomez also may face charges in Texas County; however, those charges have not yet been released.
According to authorities, shortly after 3 a.m. Feb. 6, Soto-Gomez fled a traffic stop in Texas County in the Ford F-150 pickup he was driving. Scanner traffic revealed the chase, which went from Texas County into the state of Texas, topped 100 miles per hour at times. Powell along with two Sherman County deputies and an officer from the Stratford Police Department took steps to try to stop the malay, including setting up stop sticks on the roadway. Soto-Gomez allegedly hit the strip with his right front tire and it blew; however, it did not immediately stop his attempts to flee officers.
“I pulled over and slowed down thinking I would slow down in front of him to force him to slow down,” Powell said after the chase. “He jerked the wheel of his vehicle and it slammed into my unit, causing it to spin. I turned out of the spin and managed to get back onto the roadway. I would say he was going at least 60 to 70 mile per hour when he hit my patrol unit.” It took three or four attempts utilizing what
authorities refer to as a “PIT” maneuver before they were able to shut Soto-Gomez down. Powell was admitted to the hospital for treatment of his injuries after his patrol unit was struck. He was released later that morning