Mineral Wells Area News

Just after 5:30pm on August 15th, witnesses at Tommy’s convenience store, near NE 23rd Street and Highway 281 in Mineral Wells, say a police officer was seen pulling over a Ford pick up truck pulling a recreational vehicle.

Witnesses indicate the scene unfolded quickly as MWPD officers were seen with their guns drawn as they ordered the occupants out of the vehicle. The local officers were assisted by State Troopers who also were seen pointing rifles at the suspects.

As police searched the truck and interacted with the detained occupants, a tow truck driver arrived on scene and eventually got behind the wheel of the truck and took it and the camper to an unknown location.

After almost an hour into the incident, all three suspects, two males and a female, were placed in police vehicles which eventually left the scene.

Despite the dramatic scene witnessed by many passerby’s on the busy highway, none of the three people detained were actually arrested.

After the scene was cleared of authorities, about ten minutes later, MWAN was still on location at Tommy’s when the original truck from the incident pulled into the gas station.

The male occupant (not the driver) came into the store to grab refreshments and we asked why he was released and what caused the situation. He told us they had unknowingly purchased a camper about two hours south of Mineral Wells that was allegedly reported stolen.

They were taking it back to Oklahoma for his mom to live in when authorities intervened as they were traveling through Mineral Wells. The 51-year-old man was visibly shaken and said that he had never been in trouble with police.

Law enforcement recovered the stolen RV and allowed the suspects, turned victims, to leave without further incident.

MWAN declined to interview the other two occupants out of respect for the difficult situation they had just endured.

Here is a 13 minute video taken by a witness at Tommy’s who provided MWAN with the footage.