Suspected drunk driver arrested following high speed chase

BULLARD — A police officer and an alleged intoxicated driver were injured after a high-speed pursuit. According to a Bullard PD Facebook post, on Tuesday, around 1:20 a.m., a police sergeant attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Highway 69 in Bullard. Officials said the driver of the vehicle drove away and a pursuit ensued. The vehicle was clocked going at “very high rates of speed” from Highway 69 to several county roads in Cherokee and Smith County. After more than 30 minutes of a vehicle pursuit, police said the driver got out of the vehicle and ran into a heavily wooded area near FM 756.

Police quickly caught up to him, and said he began “resisting and struggling with officers.” The suspect and a Bullard Police Officer suffered injuries. Brandon Oscar Mendez-Espita, 23, was taken to a local hospital before being booked into the Cherokee County Jail. Mendez-Espita was charged with evading arrest with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated.