Dallas police chase suspect faces several charges
Posted: 08.20.2010 at 4:04 PM
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DALLAS (AP) - A man arrested after an hour-long chase that ended when he crashed a stolen pickup through a fence at Dallas Love Field was charged with evading arrest, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of a vehicle and aggravated robbery, officials said Friday.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Kathy Colvin said it is still too early to say if Michael Laurence Browne, 46, will face federal charges, but the investigation is continuing.

Luis Casanova, a spokesman with the Transportation Security Administration, said there are several levels of security at airports. Despite Browne breaching the perimeter fence, law enforcement responded quickly, he said.

"All airports have an approved security plan that includes perimeter security," he said. "But I would think in light of this incident there would be some considerations made."

Police said the truck Browne used to lead police on the chase Thursday was stolen in a carjacking the day before. A knife was found in the truck as well as property that makes Browne a suspect in other robberies, Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse said. He said Browne is also believed to have robbed a 77-year-old woman on Thursday morning, before the police chase.

Browne remained in jail on Friday on $300,000 bond. Kim Leach, Dallas County sheriff's spokeswoman, said he did not yet have an attorney of record.

Browne has a criminal history dating back to 2004, including eight arrests from the Dallas area, Leach said.

The chase began when an undercover police officer spotted a truck that had been reported stolen a day earlier in Fort Worth, Deputy Chief Jesse Reyes said. It ended when police surrounded and rammed the pickup truck alongside a busy runway and pulled the shirtless Browne from the cab and placed him in handcuffs.

Operations on both major runways were stopped for about 10 minutes, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. One arriving flight had to make a second approach, and all departures were held on the ground until the chase was over.

Television footage showed police patiently pursuing the slow-moving pickup from expressways to side streets until it drove through the airport fence, along the airport taxiways and past a busy runway.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)