On Monday, October 3rd, 2011 a little after 8:00pm, the Italy Police Department assisted the Texas Department of Public Safety after they were in a vehicle pursuit on I-35E and crashed the vehicle near Chambers Road and I-35E just north of Italy. The occupants ran on foot from the vehicle. The Italy Police Department assisted by setting up a perimeter along the northern border of Italy while the Ellis County SO and DPS searched the ground. None of the occupants of the vehicle were found during the search. Guns and narcotics were found in the vehicle left behind by the suspects.

On Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 a little after 9:00am, an Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputy observed an Hispanic male wearing all black near the same area where the vehicle had crashed that was acting suspicious and matched the description of the evading suspect from the night earlier. The deputy tried to stop the suspect who ran on foot into a densely wooded area near Chamber’s Road.  Again, the Ellis County SO contacted the Italy Police Department to assist in setting up a perimeter on the northern border of Italy near Kinfolk Lane. The Ellis County SO completed an exhaustive 7 hour search utilizing a DPS helicopter, tracking dogs and deputies on foot to attempt to locate the suspect. The suspect was not found.

Information was being passed through social media that the suspect had a gun and was running around Italy. There was no confirmation that the suspect had a gun or was an immediate threat to the public. Contact was made with an Italy ISD official and they were advised of the situation. Due to the distance from the location of the search and the Italy ISD schools and the fact that there was no immediate danger to the public, it was determined that there was no need to lock down any Italy ISD campus.