Arrest Follows Lengthy Chase after Double Homicide
Posted/updated on: June 17, 2014 at 2:08 am
TYLER An East Texas man linked by authorities to a double homicide in Longview has been arrested in Tyler following a high-speed chase. Police tell KETK Isaiah Christopher Roberts, 29, shot and killed two people at a home on Thelma St. near Scenic Dr. in Longview around 9:00 Sunday morning. Roberts then reportedly took off at high speed. Longview police say they began chasing Roberts as he sped down U.S. Highway 271, reportedly reaching speeds up to 100 mph. Authorities report Roberts then made his way into the Tyler area. At this point, Smith County sheriffs deputies, DPS, and constables began pursuing him, according to police.
Tyler police say they unsuccessfully tried to stop Roberts by using spike strips in two different areas. Officials report Roberts then began speeding off Highway 271 onto Gentry Parkway. Police say he sped through several intersections, allegedly causing a major accident involving four vehicles in which two people were injured. Roberts was soon stopped at the intersection of Glenwood Blvd. and Hill Ave. and was taken into custody. When police searched his vehicle they found he was in possession of two firearms, according to a police report.
Roberts has been booked into the Smith County Jail. Tyler police said Monday they’d be asking the district attorney to dismiss five separate counts of causing an accident which resulted in injury. They say upon further investigation, it was later determined that the crash occurred prior to the Tyler police pursuit entering the crash scene. Roberts still faces one count of evading arrest in a vehicle resulting in injury, a 3rd degree felony. Detectives from the Longview Police Department have been working to obtain arrest warrants related to the shooting in Longview. Family members tell KETK crews on scene that Chanda Bridges, 38, Robertss ex-wife, and her friend Kim Rayson, 36, were the two killed in Longview. Members say Raysons boyfriend was also injured in the shooting. They say he is recovering at a local hospital.
