Records show search for Cowboys' Marshawn Kneeland included 160 mph chase, K-9s, drone

HOUSTON — After a vehicle pursuit of Dallas Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland reached speeds of up to 160 mph, a frantic search for the NFL player included Texas state troopers firing pepper balls into drainage tunnels and officers using K-9 dogs and a drone before he was found dead from suicide, body and dash cam video show

HOUSTON — After a vehicle pursuit of Dallas Cowboys’ Marshawn Kneeland reached speeds of up to 160 mph, a frantic search for the NFL player included Texas state troopers firing pepper balls into drainage tunnels and officers using K-9 dogs and a drone before he was found dead from suicide, body and dash cam video show.

Kneeland, 24, was found dead in the early morning hours of Nov. 6 of what police said was an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, hours after being pursued by officers who had attempted a traffic stop in suburban Dallas.

At first, authorities didn’t know the driver they were pursuing the evening on Nov. 5 was Kneeland, initially believing the car had been stolen. After the driver abandoned the vehicle after a crash, authorities learned during their hourslong search that the suspect was Kneeland. His family and friends feared he was going to hurt himself as he had sent messages telling them goodbye. They had frantically reached out to authorities to locate him.

A trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, began chasing Kneeland, who was driving a Dodge Charger northbound on the Dallas North Tollway at 10:33 p.m. on Nov. 5, according to an offense report the agency released Friday through an open records request.

The trooper said Kneeland’s vehicle reached speeds higher than 145 mph, but other troopers in body camera footage released by DPS said they believed the chase reached speeds of up to 160 mph.