San Marcos Police Department Responds To Two Traffic Incidents

SMPD, SAPD Search for Driver Who Fled on Foot After a 120 mph Pursuit

Police are searching for John Albert Barron who, according to official reports, led them on a high-speed chase from San Marcos to San Antonio before exiting his car and running on foot.

At 3:42 AM Monday, a San Marcos Police Officer observed a White Lincoln Navigator traveling approximately 120 miles per hour northbound on IH 35. The officer caught up to the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.

The vehicle exited the highway and continued north on the access road where the officer reports he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.

The vehicle took the northbound to southbound turnaround and increased speed once again. The officer continued the pursuit, going around 100 mph into San Antonio city limits. San Marcos Police Dispatch notified other agencies along the route of the pursuit and requested assistance including New Braunfels Police, Live Oak Police, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and the San Antonio Police Department. 

The vehicle eventually came to a stop at Jackson Middle School on the northwest side of San Antonio. Police say Barron exited the vehicle and fled on foot into a nearby construction site behind the school. SMPD and SAPD attempted to set up a perimeter with San Antonio Police assisting with a helicopter and K9 search. After a search of the area, it was determined Barron had escaped prior to setting up the perimeter.

A second male passenger was inside the vehicle at the time of the chase, but he was released at the scene. Police are in the process of seeking arrest warrants for Barron.

Fatal Crash Sunday Morning Shuts Down IH-35 Southbound

At approximately 1:54 AM on Sunday, Apr. 21, San Marcos Police received a call for a major traffic collision on southbound IH 35 just before the 200 exit at McCarty Lane. 

SMPD, along with the San Marcos Fire Department, San Marcos/Hays EMS and Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers responded to the scene.  Juan Martinez of New Braunfels was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Jo Anne Prado.

The call initially started as an alleged stolen vehicle. The victim tells police he was getting food in downtown San Marcos in the 100 block of S. Guadalupe St. and left his 2008 Audi A4 running and unattended at which time Martinez jumped into the victim’s car and fled. The victim followed in a friend’s vehicle as they entered IH 35.

Martinez continued driving the stolen vehicle southbound for a short time before he crashed into the back of a semi-truck, resulting in his death.

All lanes of IH 35 southbound were closed and diverted to the frontage road from approximately 2 AM to 8 AM. This is the second fatal collision in San Marcos in 2019.