Bond set at $50K for Gilmer man caught after 2-county police chase, allegedly shooting at officers

MORRIS COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Bond is now set at $50,000 for an East Texas man involved in a two-county chase.

Morris County sheriff’s officials say it started near Daingerfield around noon on Wednesday.

The chase of a big rig truck through Avinger started as a concern call to Morris County deputies, but turned dangerous when they arrived.

“We didn’t know what we had. We just got a report of man walking around with a big gun. And we knew he was involved in a verbal disturbance with somebody in his truck,” said Morris county sheriff Jack Martin.

“The driver attempted to hit my vehicle but he got around me and pointed a weapon at me and he fled. That’s when the chase began,” said Deputy Jim Carrigo, who was first on the scene.

With the female still in the truck, the driver, Chancellor Gunther, of Gilmer, headed east.

“We were unsure if the passenger of the big truck was kidnapped, a hostage, injured, we didn’t know,” Jim says.

And Deputy Carrigo was experienced with this. It was a 2017 shooting when as a Camp County deputy he survived a volley of shots from a suspect.

“My unit was hit 22 times, but not one bullet touched me,” he says.

The chase came down Highway 49 through the old downtown part of Avinger going 75-to-80 miles per hour.

During the chase, Carrigo says Gunther tried to get rid of evidence.

“The weapon was thrown out the window,” Jim says.

Chase priority was trying to keep Gunther from hurting someone in the process.

The chase came to an end with a DPS road-block in Linden. Gunther then gave himself up.

“We were able to get him stopped because of their help. Thank God nobody got hurt,” Sheriff Martin says.

Gunther remains in the Morris County jail, charged with assault on a public servant and evading arrest.

While his bond is currently set at $50,000, officials tell us that amount may change.

Gunther’s passenger was not hurt.

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