Multi-law enforcement pursuit leads to arrest of man accused of assault of police officer

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - A man struck by gunfire following a police pursuit has been served an arrest warrant and is charged with aggravated assault on a public servant. 34-year-old Jeffrey Enriquez Jr. is accused of ramming into a police unit then driving his vehicle towards another officer who then fired at him.

Around 2:16 p.m. Thursday, Lubbock police were called to reports of a theft at a hardware store near 50th and University. The theft victim provided officers with information from her phone tracking service that was able to lead officers to a gas station in New Deal.

At 2:55 p.m., officers located the suspect vehicle and tried to arrest Enriquez Jr. He resisted and got back inside his vehicle when police say he backed into a police unit. He then drove his vehicle toward another office who fired and struck Enriquez Jr. Officers from multiple agencies were then led on a “lengthy pursuit” across “multiple counties.”

Along with Lubbock police, the New Deal Police Department, Petersburg Police Department, Abernathy Police Department, Hale County Sheriff’s Office, Hale Center Police Department, DPS and the Plainview Police Department all assisted.

Enriquez was eventually taken into custody in a field near FM 784 and FM 789, where he crashed the vehicle north of Petersburg. Investigators determined Enriquez Jr. was seriously injured from a gunshot wound. He was taken to UMC via AeroCare.

Investigators later determined the car Enriquez Jr. was driving was stolen out of Amarillo. The officer who fired the shots is on administrative leave. He is a 20 year veteran of law enforcement.

Enriquez Jr. could face additional charges pending the investigation. He is currently in custody of the Lubbock County Sherriff’s Office.

“An internal investigation by LPD’s Office of Professional Standards was initiated per department policy in conjunction with the investigation by METRO. In addition, Major Crash investigators worked with DPS crash investigators to process the crash scene. Due to the multi-agency response, the Texas Rangers are assisting with the investigation.”

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