COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The College Station man who has been on the run for a week and a half was arrested by College Station police officers Tuesday.
Matthew Jarrett, 32, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He is also facing a charge of evading arrest out of the Navasota Police Department.
On Saturday, June 12, around 6:45 p.m., a call for help came in to dispatch. A man said around 5 p.m., he realized his car was not where he had parked it last and told police he suspected Jarrett had stolen it. The car owner said he had let Jarrett stay with him for a few days and realized his car was missing.
As the College Station police officer was helping the man with his report, an agency assist call was issued for law enforcement in Navasota, Grimes County, Brazos County and Texas DPS.
The agencies said they were chasing a stolen vehicle and the driver stopped and ran off near the corner of Graham Road and Victoria Avenue. The passenger stayed behind at the scene and authorities said he told them the driver was Matthew Jarrett.
The passenger told police Jarrett had picked him up in Bryan and the two had gone to Navasota. As they were leaving the area, he said a Navasota police officer attempted to pull them over and Jarrett said "I'm not going back to jail," and took off in the car.
The passenger said he asked Jarrett many times to stop the car so he could get out, but he said Jarrett refused. At one point, the passenger said Jarrett pulled out a gun, pointed it at his chest and said "I will end you." The passenger said just as they were coming up on Graham Road and Victoria, he "saw an opportunity" to put the vehicle into park, stopping the car and Jarrett took off.
One of the Bryan officers at the scene said they knew Jarrett personally and called him on his cell phone. Jarrett answered and allegedly told the officer he had been driving the stolen vehicle and had run from the scene. The Navasota police officer who spotted the driver of the stolen car just before the chase started also allegedly identified Jarrett as the driver.
The passenger, while not charged at this time in connection to this case, was arrested on outstanding warrants and other charges.
Jarrett is currently in the Brazos County Jail on $156,000 bond.