Body found in Sims Bayou after police pursuit

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Police say what began as the search for a truck thief ended with a man's body found after he ran away from law enforcement officers.

The search began after someone observed a white Ford F-150 truck with a driver's side keyhole damaged with the driver using a paper towel on his hands as they gripped the steering wheel.

After the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable's Office determined the vehicle was stolen, deputy constables tried to stop him for a traffic violation on State Highway 225. The truck veered off the road and landed into a basin where the driver jumped out of the vehicle and tried to swim across Sims Bayou.

Once in the bayou, police say the driver began to shout for help before his body went underwater. A Pct. 3 deputy constable tried to find and rescue the driver, but was not able to do so.

A dive team found the body after 1 p.m. The incident is being treated as a Pct. 3 in-custody death within the Houston city limits.