CADDO MILLS - A suspect remained at large late Friday afternoon after leading authorities on a dangerous chase early that morning.
Mickey Dean Durham attempted to elude state troopers by traveling the wrong way on interstate 30 and attempting to crash into several vehicles.
Trooper Mark Tackett tells KETR, “We were lucky in the fact that the citizens that this guy tried to crash into were alert enough while they were driving down the road to evade his attempts. Everybody that he tried to crash into made it safety to the median or the shoulder of the road to get out of his way.”
No one was injured and no pedestrian vehicles were damaged.
Authorities attempted to stop Durham after he had reportedly stolen a vehicle in Rockwall, but the suspect fled. Tackett says Durham was first spotted traveling on U.S. 69 in Hunt County before getting onto Interstate 30 and traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes. The suspect was able to elude a deployment of spike systems, get off the interstate and then get back on. Once Durham took the exit at mile marker 87 authorities were given permission to end the pursuit by any means necessary.
“We were able to discharge a firearm into the suspect’s vehicle, causing him to stop his vehicle. At that point, he drove onto the frontage road and left his vehicle on foot.”
A perimeter was then set up and dogs from the prison on Bonham were brought in to help in the search while a helicopter was called in.
Tackett says officials are now trying to research last known addresses and locations in an attempt to find Durham.