In August, 1979, an alert Alvin Police officer named Joseph
Esquivel was on night patrol near Alvin High School when he noticed a young man riding a blue English Racer bicycle at the corner of Johnson and Adoue, and carrying a
toolbox under his arm. Immediately suspicious, Esquivel followed. Slowly at first, then faster as the suspect started to accelerate. As both of them raced through the parking lot
of First Baptist Church at Adoue and Hill, the man threw the entire toolbox at the cruiser
– and missed.
At the corner of Cleveland and Taylor the suspect abandoned
his bike and took off on foot.
Undaunted, Esquivel followed suit and the foot race was underway. Two blocks later, the chase began to include
jumping over fences and running through lawns in the dark in the middle of the
night. With Esquivel only a few feet
behind him, the youth unexpectedly crawled through an open window at a house on Hardie Street.
And that’s where he was arrested less than a minute or two later,
cowering under the covers of his own bed in his own home, at around 3 a.m. It was later discovered that the abandoned
bicycle had been stolen. The toolbox was
never claimed or reported stolen.
Good work, Officer Esquivel, no matter where you are now. You are probably one of Alvin’s octogenarians
by now, so we honor you for your service.
