Man hijacks UPS truck in Central Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A man pulled a UPS driver from his truck and then led police on a chase in the middle of rush hour traffic. Police said Tuesday that the UPS truck was waiting at a light and heading toward Interstate 35 at the intersection of 38th and Red River streets. Then, a white male in his 30s, later identified as 30-year-old Jason Luke Williams, abandoned the SUV he was driving, jumped in the UPS truck and pushed the driver out.

"A silver SUV, actually pulled off the grass into the roadway," said Srgt. Tyson McGowan, with the Austin Police Department. "He stopped in the middle of the road. A white male subject jumped out, jumped into the UPS truck, pushed the driver out and stole the truck."

Williams took off in the UPS vehicle and ended up at the 3300 block of the Interstate 35 access road. He abandoned the UPS truck. After leaving the truck, the UPS truck slowly rolled into another car in the middle of the road.

"The subject advised that the UPS truck had backed into him," said McGowan. "We get over here, there's no one in the UPS truck. The suspect apparently abandoned the truck and went into this area somewhere."

Police tracked Williams down and arrested him at the intersection of 32nd Street and the access road, just a block away from where he ditched the truck. McGowan said Williams was not hurt, but he was taken to the University Medical Center Brackenridge for an evaluation before he was taken to jail.

Alex Morgan, who was driving to his friend's house, drove up on the abandoned SUV and saw the UPS driver. He said the driver did not appear injured, but definitely startled.

"I drove by and parked in their driveway, said Morgan. "But, when I showed up this car was in the middle of the intersection and there was a UPS guy and he was just acting weird."

Williams is being charged with felony theft, although more charges are pending.