By Christine McCarthy and Adam Shear
WACO- Hewitt Police say a man wanted for strangling a family member evaded police on Sunday on his motorcycle while armed with a knife before crashing into a U.S. Marshal's car and running away on foot.
Around 11:00 on Sunday morning, Hewitt Police officers and U.S. Marshals had been trying to serve a warrant to 35-year-old Joseph F. Labarbera for an alleged assault of a family member by strangulation.
Ironically when officers were headed to Labarbera's house he was assaulting another family member. He hit a relative in the head and then threatened the man with a knife.
Labarbera then reportedly took off on his motorcycle from his home in the 500 block of N. Old Temple Rd., before police could arrive.
Pursuing officers and Marshals tried to stop Labarbera by chasing him at a speed up to 90 miles per hour, before Labarbera, who was holding a knife, allegedly swerved around a citizen's car at the intersection of Bagby and Loop 340 in Waco, hit the Marshal's vehicle and was thrown onto the ground. Police say Labarbera jumped up and continued to run on foot from the officers.
However, after a short chase, Labarbera turned around and threatened the officers. Officers then subdued Labarbera using a TASER gun, and arrested him for the previous assault charge and two felony charges of aggravated assault on a public servant and evading arrest with a motor vehicle.
"He just committed crime after crime," said Chief Jim Devlin, Hewitt Police Dept. "[Labarbera] just happens to be a menace and he needs to be incarcerated for this stuff."
Labarbera was taken to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center with minor injuries. He is now being held in McLennan Co. Jail facing charges of Aggravated Assault of a family member, Assault-Family Violence-Strangulation, two counts of Aggravated Assault of Peace Officer, and evading arrest in a motor vehicle.
