UPDATE:After more than 36 hours of being on the run for the second time, law enforcement agencies are still looking for a man that lead police on a chase after a traffic stop on Monday.
Police have charged Antonio Darnell Johnson, 24, of Fort Worth, with evading arrest and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was pulled over Monday afternoon and was caught driving with a suspended license. The officer began searching the vehicle. When he got to the trunk, Johnson struggled with the officer before darting to the trunk to grab a gun.
The officer pulled out his taser as Johnson fled but was unable to give chase, according to Riesel police chief Daniel Krumnow. There was also another woman arrested in the process. Police said she cooperated and was later released.
Johnson led police on a seven hour long man hunt that ended at 1:30am Tuesday. Krumnow said Johnson began to tell officers he was suffering from seizures. He was transported by ambulance to Baylor Scott and White at Hillcrest hospital in Waco.
According to Krumnow, two hours after Johnson was admitted he was discharged and allowed to leave his unguarded room.
"The officer is responsible for holding security," he said.
Krumnow said the officer had been working a full shift and had asked the hospital security guard on duty to watch the room. Riesel PD has three officers, including the chief. On the day of the chase, they were down to just two officers. The third was on vacation.
"You can't be there all the time," Krumnow said. "You need bathroom breaks, meal breaks. We're just human."
When asked about hiring security contractors for similar situations, he said those kinds of expenses can add up quickly and they have to be approved by the city.
Authorities think Johnson has ties to Fort Worth and Marlin.
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Riesel police expect to issue felony arrest warrants for the 24-year-old suspect who walked away from a local hospital Tuesday after being caught in an overnight manhunt. The warrants are for illegally possessing a weapon and evading arrest.
The man has been identified as Antonio Johnson, of Fort Worth.
They say Johnson has a violent criminal record including at least two robberies, one aggravated robbery and an aggravated assault. Police Chief Danny Krumnow believes the suspect is in the Ft. Worth or Marlin area and will be arrested soon.
Officers searched but never found the gun witnesses say they saw the man carrying when the manhunt began. He was originally pulled over Monday night on Highway 6 on a routine traffic stop and it was discovered he had an invalid driver's license. Krumnow said the man struggled with an officer and then fled when police began searching his vehicle.
UPDATE: 3 p.m.: Riesel police say a man caught after a seven hour manhunt overnight Monday walked away from Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Hospital after being taken there following his capture.
The man was taken into custody with help from a DPS helicopter brought in from Austin and two dog teams from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. After his capture, the man complained of medical problems. Officers carried him to the highway and called an ambulance to take him to a hospital.
Riesel police were told the hospital would call when his treatment was completed and he was ready to go to jail, but as officers were on their way to pick him up, he reportedly walked out of the hospital and disappeared.
Other officers spent most of the day Tuesday walking the route he was tracked over, looking for the gun he was seen carrying, and they believe he discarded somewhere along the way.
Riesel police officers, Department of Public Safety troopers and McLennan County sheriff's deputies combed through the north and west side of Riesel after a man ran from an officer after a traffic stop about 7 p.m. on Monday.
The manhunt east of Waco included a helicopter, dogs, horses, and multiple law enforcement officers.
Riesel Police said the subject of the search has an extensive criminal history, including three aggravated robbery charges.
According to Riesel police, the driver ran from an officer during a traffic stop, leaving his passenger in the car near Adams Street.
One 911 caller reported seeing the man drop and pick up a weapon and witnesses confirmed that. So far, police have not released the man's name.
Police dogs picked up the man's scent near the railroad tracks parallel to Highway 6, but then lost track of him.
Traffic on northbound Highway 6 was stopped and re-routed for a couple of hours when the manhunt began, but that roadway has now reopened.
