AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- A man is in custody Thursday morning after stealing an Austin Fire Department truck and leading police on a more than 90 minute long chase north on Interstate 35.
According to police, the man, who has been identified as 41-year old Frank Garcia Jr. of Austin, reportedly stole the fire engine around midnight.
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper soon spotted the stolen truck near Guadalupe Street and 41st Street and began to pursue it, with APD and other agencies joining in as well. The chase lasted for about an hour, officials said, before coming to a stop near Jarrell, near mile marker 275.
Officers used spike strips to damage the vehicle's tires.
According to DPS, Garcia is facing charges of theft of property equal to or greater than $300,000, unauthorized use of a vehicle, criminal mischief, criminal theft, and evading arrest/ detention with a vehicle. He's been booked into the Travis County Jail.