The sheriff reported that a man is being sought after he initiated a chase out of Galveston County and subsequently abandoned his vehicle in a fiery crash

Authorities in Galveston County, Texas, are actively seeking a suspect who fled the scene of a fiery crash after leading law enforcement on a chase from Galveston County into Harris County on Thursday evening.

Sheriff Henry Trochesset stated that a deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the suspect, identified as Jafar Otems, who was wanted on a felony warrant for deadly conduct. Otems, 22, refused to stop, prompting the pursuit along the Gulf Freeway and FM 518, according to the sheriff.

As the chase progressed northbound near El Dorado, Trochesset mentioned that the deputy terminated the pursuit due to hazardous driving conditions.

Shortly afterward, the suspect’s vehicle collided along the Gulf Freeway feeder road at Scarsdale and erupted into flames. Video footage from Houston TranStar around 6:40 p.m. captured the intense wreckage. The 2022 Nissan Rogue was left as a charred shell after the fire was extinguished.

Houston police, who handled the crash site, reported that Otems’ SUV collided with a trailer, ignited, and then struck another vehicle. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported.

Otems fled the scene on foot and disappeared into the woods near a residential area, according to police. Despite an extensive search effort, he remained at large as of Thursday night.

According to court records, Otems was allegedly involved in a robbery at Bush Airport in April 2022. He reportedly fired shots at a vehicle multiple times in a busy airport parking garage after his co-defendants abandoned him, as per records.