Gun-Toting Guy Smashes SUV Into State Building

Downtown Austin played host to a minor car chase this past weekend, when a man who'd approached several people at gunpoint attempted to flee in his SUV.

A some point around closing time early Saturday morning, a 9-1-1 caller alerted police that a man waving a gun had been hassling a group of folks in the Red River District, between Sixth and Seventh streets. Police later tried to flag down his Ford SUV after they found it near Red River and Fourth Street. The suspect, whose name has yet to be revealed, declined the invitation to stop.

A brief chase ensued, during which this man managed to make it to the Warehouse District—a respectable half-mile or so—before losing control of his vehicle, veering off the road, striking a parked car, and, ultimately, smashing into the William P. Hobby Building.

The man was taken to Brackenridge Hospital with "injuries that were considered life-threatening," but thankfully no one else was injured.

Photo by Matt Wright on flickr