ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa man allegedly caught driving a vehicle stolen in Lubbock was arrested last week after investigators said he fled during a traffic stop and then crashed into a parked car. Nathaniel Ochoa, 27, has been charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle, Evading in a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tampering with Evidence, Unlawful Carry of a Weapon, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident.
According to an Odessa Police Department report, around 6:00 a.m. on June 3, officers located a stolen vehicle from Lubbock traveling westbound on 2nd Street, approaching Kelly. Officers initiated a traffic stop in the 200 block of N Kelly and said the driver initially pulled over, but as soon as his passenger exited the vehicle, he drove away.
The passenger identified the driver as Ochoa and said he was armed and possibly heading to his house near the 1300 block of Amburgey. A short time later, officers found the stolen vehicle crashed on Amburgey- home security cameras in the area showed that Ochoa crashed into a parked car, then exited the vehicle and ran.
Officers said the engine was still running and the car was still in drive when they arrived on the scene. Inside the vehicle, officers said they found methamphetamines- they also located an abandoned firearm that Ochoa reportedly threw from the car window when he initially fled from the traffic stop.
Ochoa was found and arrested a short time later- he remained in the Ector County Law Enforcement Center as of Tuesday afternoon on a combined $114,500 bond.