Crash ends pursuit of suspect wanted for murder
Examiner photo by Ana Cosino A 22-year-old College Station man wanted for the murder of his girlfriend led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash in Navasota.
The pursuit of a man wanted for the murder of his girlfriend in Bastrop County ended in Navasota Jan. 4.
Around 1:07 p.m. law enforcement in Brazos County began pursuing a 2014 white in color Nissan Altima near North Earl Rudder Freeway (State Highway 6) in Bryan. Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release stating a person of interest in the Dec. 30 murder of 19-year-old Sofia Vera was last seen driving the vehicle and is believed to live in Brazos County.
The pursuit which included College Station Police Department, Bryan PD and Department of Public Safety Troopers continued south on Hwy. 6 toward Navasota, with speeds reaching over 100 miles per hour.
Navasota Police were notified of the pursuit around 1:15 p.m. and stationed officers with spike strips along the highway. Northbound and southbound traffic was shut down. As the pursuit entered Navasota, the Nissan struck a Chevrolet SUV, then was struck by a patrol unit causing the vehicle to crash into the southbound median between the highway and railroad tracks.
Following a brief standoff involving multiple agencies, a SWAT team approached the vehicle and discovered the driver unconscious with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The driver, Raul Anthony Caballero, 22, was air-lifted to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan with life-threatening injuries.
Vera murder
Around 8 p.m. Dec. 30, Texas Highway Patrol responded to a potential deadly hit-and-run on FM 1704 and Coon Neck Road near Elgin.
Officers arrived and determined the victim was murdered and not the subject of a hit-and-run. Officers said Vera was shot once in the head and three times in the back. According to a statement by Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook, investigators haven’t confirmed if the victim was shot at that location or if her body was dumped there after the murder.
The victim was identified as Vera. Investigators said Vera had an Elgin address, but was at times believed to live with Caballero in his apartment near Texas A&M University in College Station.
Police searched Caballero’s apartment and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was believed to be in the victim’s vehicle and in possession of the victim’s cell phone. Bastrop County released information about the suspected vehicle to Bryan PD, who spotted the vehicle Jan. 4, and pursued it into Navasota where the pursuit ended in a crash.
The murder investigation is continuing. Caballero remains in critical condition.