LIBERTY, August 23, 2008 - On Saturday, August 23rd, at approximately 12:35 AM, Liberty PD Officers were made aware of a high-speed pursuit, which had initiated in Mont Belvieu, when Mt. Belvieu PD Officer Bennie Simpson attempted to stop a silver 2004 Toyota Celica for speeding on SH 146 in Chambers County.

As Liberty PD Officers Frank Longoria and Rolando Aguilar listened to the radio, they heard Dayton PD advising that the pursuit was headed towards Liberty at speeds in excess of 130 MPH, and possibly as fast as 150 MPH. Longoria headed towards the riverbottom until he heard dispatch advise that the pursuit was in the riverbottom, so he turned e/b so as to get a rolling start when the pursuit entered Liberty.

Longoria, along with THP Trooper David Fowler and Liberty SO Deputy Paul Lasco observed the Toyota crossing the River Bridge at a high rate of speed, at which point, the driver, seeing the patrol cars in the eastbound lanes, crossed over into the suicide turn lane, then into the opposing lane of traffic as he passed the units, kicking up road debris and recklessly crossing back and forth from lane to lane.

Longoria, Fowler and Lasco pursued after the Toyota, reaching speeds of 125 MPH; even at such speeds, the driver of the Toyota was steadily opening the gap between himself and his pursuers, who nonetheless managed to keep the car in sight even as they struggled to keep up with it.

The Toyota turned left onto SH 146 Bypass, them right onto Beaumont Ave, where the driver again picked up speeds to an extremely dangerous pace. As Fowler took over the lead , with Longoria behind him, the Toyota opened up a considerable lead traveling east on Beaumont Ave. Fowler momentarily lost sight of the Toyota, although he observed that it had turned left onto a side road.

Law enforcement units converged on the area, with several checking the Minglewood area and the rest checking the Beaumont Ave area. As Longoria traveled west on Beaumont Ave, he decided to check down Melonson Street, which is a dead end street; as he drove down Melonson, he checked the cars that were parked on the west side of the street. As Longoria reached the end of the street, which is slightly fishhook-shaped, he observed a silver Toyota Celica, matching the description of the one they had been pursuing, parked off the street, under a tree, engine turned off and lights darkened.

Longoria approached the car, and shined his light inside, where he observed a W/F sitting in the passenger seat, seat reclined; he checked the driver's seat, which had initially appeared empty, where he observed a W/M, hunkered down in the seat, in an apparent attempt to hide.

	Longoria approached the driver's side, where with service weapon drawn, he ordered the driver, who was identified as Ronald Chance Mekalip, age 22, of Mont Belvieu, out of the car. When he did not immediately comply, Longoria, along with Lasco, pulled Mekalip out of the driver's seat and onto the ground, where he was handcuffed, then placed in Longoria's cruiser.

Mekalip's passenger, Valerie Yvonne Smith, age 20, out of Kingwood, who was the registered owner of the Toyota, was visibly distraught and stated to the officers that she had told Mekalip to stop. but that he wouldn't, stating that he had an arrest warrant out for a traffic violation.

The vehicle was released to Smith, and Mekalip was transported to the Liberty County Jail, where he was booked in on a SJF charge of Evading Arrest or Detention in a Motor Vehicle; he was also held on the warrant, which was out of the City of Baytown. Mekalip also faces a SJF charge for evading in Mont Belvieu, according to MBPD Officer B Simpson, who is going to file the paperwork to obtain a felony warrant for Mekalip.

Units from Mont Belvieu PD, Dayton PD, the Liberty-Chambers Narcotics Task Force, DPS THP, the Liberty Sheriff's Office, and the Liberty PD were all involved in the pursuit at one point or another, and according to Longoria, the cooperation between the agencies was critical in the successful apprehension of Mekalip.

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