Man arrested in overnight pursuit in El Paso County

An arrest has been made in Wednesday’s overnight pursuit in El Paso County.

Deputies observed a pickup truck driving around the parking lot of a Super 8 Motel and Econo Lodge around 2:15 in the morning near Peterson Road and Panamint Court.

The driver, 24-year-old Hector Villa Diaz, was doing circles in the middle of the street while slamming on his brakes and attempting to lure deputies into hitting him several times. When a second deputy arrived at the scene, his vehicle was hit on the side by Diaz.

Diaz then proceeded to head east on Highway 94, hitting numerous items in a nearby field and still driving in circles. He eventually crashed his car and disabled it.

Patrol cars were able to get to the field, where they found the vehicle unoccupied. Diaz was found laying on the ground with a Bible around his head. Police believe Diaz was under the influence of narcotics.

He was arrested and booked into the Criminal Justice Center on various charges including 1st Degree Assault on Peace Officer and Vehicular Eluding and Reckless Driving.