Mother Leads Houston Police on Three County Car Chase

The best Houston car wreck attorneys are exposed to all kinds of unlikely scenarios and situations, but when a mother leads police on a chase with her children in the back seat of her car, it is enough to make even the most seasoned Houston injury attorneys pause.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Scarlett Gorden led police on a 45-minute chase through three counties that ended with police guns drawn. The chase began with a report of kidnapping in Navarro County—where Gorden had allegedly kidnapped her own children. The chase then went from Ellis County, through Dallas County and ended in Collin County where Gorden finally stopped. During the chase she was speeding and swerving in an out of traffic, managing to elude police the entire time.

WFAA pilot Troy Bush was one of the people tailing Gorden’s car. “At this point, she’s pulling away from me and I’m indicating climbing through 91 miles per hour on HD Chopper 8’s air speed indicator.” At one point deputies who were on the ground chasing Gorden in cars managed to get right beside the car, and reported that she was speaking on the phone to someone. But they were unable to get her to stop at that time.

Gorden had her two children in the car with her, ages 3 and 5, which made the chase an even higher priority for the Dallas County Sheriff’s department. “She was a danger on the highway, and she had two small children in the car with her” said Dallas County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Leach. By the time Gorden finally stopped, she had stuck another vehicle, and her high speed and erratic driving made her a danger to other drivers, her children, as well as to herself.

Spike sticks placed on the highway by the police are what finally brought Gorden to a halt. Police approached the car with drawn guns near the Dallas North Tollway after she turned onto Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. Gorden surrendered peacefully, handing out her older daughter to police before being handcuffed herself.

It turns out that Gorden has custody of her children, so the matter was not a kidnapping case, but Ellis County officials plan to charge Gorden with felony evading arrest and at least two counts of child endangerment. Luckily, no injuries were reported as a result of the chase and the car that Gorden did strike.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, call Houston car accident attorney Joe Stephens today at 281-623-1701 for a free consultation. Joe Stephens is a Houston injury attorney with over over 30 years of experience serving the South Texas Community. Call Joe Stephens today to get the advice and help that you need, or fill out a contact form, and a member of The Stephens Law Firm will contact you within 24 hours to schedule your free consultation.