Suspect dead following police chase, hours-long standoff in North Texas
LAKE WORTH — A suspect died Thursday night following a police chase that ended with him barricading himself inside a Lake Worth home for hours, officials said.
On Thursday, Fort Worth police responded to a call for assistance from Lake Worth Police in the 1700 block of Skyline Dr., the Fort Worth Police Department said in a news release.
Lake Worth Police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said it all started during a traffic stop, when the suspect fired at officers and then fled.
The officers pursued the suspect, who then drove into the backyard of a home near Sansom Park and fired at Lake Worth officers again before running inside the house on Skyline Drive.
Fort Worth's Crisis Intervention Team and SWAT responded to the scene, and officers from multiple agencies kept a perimeter around the house, the news release stated.
Hours-long standoff at Lake Worth home
Officials spent several hours trying to negotiate and de-escalate the situation before the suspect exited the house with a gun to his head, refusing to follow police commands, authorities said. Fort Worth SWAT deployed less lethal rounds in an attempt to disarm him.
The suspect then fired in the officers' direction, and in response, a Fort Worth SWAT officer shot him, according to the news release. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
FWPD Internal Affairs and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office were investigating the incident, while the Medical Examiner determines the cause of death and the suspect's identity.