Search on for suspect who led high-speed pursuit to S.A.

A high-speed chase that began in San Marcos early Monday and ended outside a San Antonio middle school left police seeking a 30-year-old man believed to have been behind the wheel.

The city said in a Monday press release that police are in the process of seeking arrest warrants for 30-year-old John Albert Barron. He is believed to have been the driver of a white Lincoln Navigator seen by local police going approximately 120 mph northbound on Interstate 35 at 3:42 a.m. before exiting to the access road. An officer caught up to it and, although he was unable to get it to stop, reported that he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the SUV.

The vehicle took a northbound to southbound turnaround and increased speed once again, the city said. The officer continued the pursuit, going around 100 mph into the San Antonio City Limits. SMPD dispatch notified other agencies along the route of the pursuit and requested assistance including police departments in New Braunfels, Live Oak and San Antonio and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

The vehicle eventually came to a stop at Jackson Middle School on the northwest side of San Antonio. Police say Barron exited the vehicle and fled on foot into a nearby construction site behind the school. SMPD and SAPD attempted to set up a perimeter with San Antonio Police assisting with a helicopter and K9 search. 

After a search of the area, it was determined Barron had escaped prior to setting up the perimeter.

A male passenger was inside the vehicle at the time of the chase, but he was released at the scene. Anyone with any information as to Barron’s whereabouts is urged to contact the SMPD Criminal Investigations Division at 512-753-2300.