Texas Police Helicopter Video Captures Gun Battle on Highway

Dramatic footage shows the moment a Texas trooper and a suspect got into a shootout on an interstate in Bexar County.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) released the video, showing how a helicopter helped track a suspect and saved the life of the shot trooper, KENS5 reported on Aug. 31.

The video illustrates how helpful DPS helicopters are during shooting situations.

Ernest Montelongo, 33, was pulled over by a trooper for a traffic stop. Then Montelongo provided a false name and fled officers.

The trooper lost sight of Montelongo’s car, but a DPS helicopter was able to assist in finding him. The suspect at one point went the wrong way on Interstate 10.

When the suspect came to a stop, gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and a trooper.

Both were taken to nearby hospitals. The suspect died the next day in the hospital, and the trooper survived.

The full footage can be seen here (Warning: graphic content):

The Texas Department of Public Safety,recently released footage of a Bexar County woman trying to elude police in an incident that was captured via a helicopter camera.

The woman, at times, reaches speeds of more than 100 mph. Police deployed a tire deflation device that blew out her tire before she crashed.

Then, the woman hops out of her car, grabs her baby in a car seat, and then tries to carjack another vehicle.

The driver of that car ran out of the vehicle and pulled a child from the backseat. Police then grabbed the female suspect and took her out of the vehicle before handcuffing her.

The baby was taken from the car by officials during the incident.

Texas officials released footage of a woman leading police on a high-speed chase before crashing into another vehicle, in June 2018. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the woman had outstanding warrants for her arrest in Bexar County, ABC13 reported. She fled a trooper after a traffic stop was conducted.

She was charged with evading arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and endangering a child, according to the report. The baby was handed over to Child Protective Services.

Traffic Stops Dangerous for Police

In early August, a video was released by police in Pennsylvania, showing a man opening fire on two officers. One of the officers was critically wounded in the incident.

The National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund (pdf) said traffic stops are notoriously dangerous for police officers in the United States. The leading causes for officers being shot and killed in 2017 occurred when they were responding to domestic incidents and while conducting traffic stops, the group’s annual report says.

And, according to the most recent figures published by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, “A greater percentage of male drivers (12 percent) than female drivers (8 percent) were stopped by police during 2011.” It adds: “In 2011, about 3 percent of traffic stops led to a search of the driver, the vehicle, or both. Police were more likely to search male drivers (4 percent) than female drivers (2 percent).”