TEMPLE, Texas — Anthony Turner Jr., 19, was identified as the man who died after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday morning while running from police across the southbound lanes of I-35 in Temple, according to the Temple Police Department.
In a press release, Temple Police released in-depth detail of the chronological order of the events. You can read it below.
7:48 a.m. - An officer received a call to the 1200 block of Allegiance Bend in reference to a suspicious person.
7:57 a.m. - The officer identified Turner as he matched the description provided by the caller.
8:01 a.m. - After speaking with Turner, the officer advised him that he was not supposed to be at that location until after 4 p.m., and the officer told him to leave. Turner then left the premises. The officer returned to their patrol vehicle and found that he had a warrant for his arrest.
8:02:43 a.m. - The officer drove towards Turnerr, who had walked several houses away. The officer told him that he had a warrant, and he was being arrested. The officer took hold of Turner's right arm. The officer advised dispatch that they had detained him and requested a second unit. Turner told police he did not have a warrant and began to pull away. The officer told him to not resist. However, Turner pulled his arm out of the officer's grasp and fled on-foot towards a backyard in the 1200 block of Allegiance Bend. The subject then jumped over a fence and out of the officer’s sight. The officer did not pursue the subject.
A perimeter was set up by other Temple police officers. Shortly after the perimeter was set up, K-9 officers started a track from the last spot the officer saw the subject.
8:52 a.m. - A Temple police lieutenant observed a patrol vehicle with the lights on stopped in the middle of General Bruce Dr. The vehicle was identified as a Bell County Sheriff's Department vehicle. The lieutenant then saw Turner run across the road, in front of the vehicle and toward the interstate.
8:55 a.m. - The lieutenant made contact with Turner from the overpass at Nugent Avenue and told him to get off of the interstate. Additionally, the lieutenant instructed police units to slow down all interstate traffic and block northbound traffic.
8:56 a.m. - The lieutenant reiterated his instruction for police units to slow down traffic on northbound and southbound Interstate 35 over the radio.
8:56:14 a.m. - An officer arrived at General Bruce Drive, saw Turner on the interstate and positively identified him as the subject. The officer verbally called to him, telling him to come over and get some water. He refused and continued running north.
8:58:35 a.m. - Turner then ran on the top of the inside retaining wall on the interstate. A sergeant paralleled him with his vehicle and, over the PA system, advised him to get off the interstate.He was then observed running in traffic, with vehicles passing him on his left and right side. Officers advised the subject to get back to the center wall so he did not get hit by a vehicle.
8:58:55 a.m. - The officer neared Turner on the interstate. He ran northbound near the southbound retaining wall, and the officer directed (but did not discharge) their taser at him. Turner started moving westward, entering the southbound lanes of traffic, where he was struck by a vehicle.
The officer immediately called for Emergency Medical Services and started performing CPR on him, according to police.
If anyone has information related to this incident, police ask the public to call the Temple Police Department at 254-298-5500 or the Texas Rangers at 254-247-0849.