Deputies shoot suspect, hostage safe after vehicle pursuit
Dec. 14—Cherokee County Sheriff's Deputies shot and injured a man Monday following a car chase and stand off with a hostage.
Deputies responded to an aggravated assault call Dec. 13, in the area of CR 2206 in Rusk. which resulted in a suspect fleeing with a hostage, traveling southbound on US 69 and ending near the community of Central in Angelina County.
The suspect, identified as Timothy Gorko of Rusk, reportedly refused to comply with multiple commands to put down his gun, resulting in officers opening fire. Gorko was shot and transported to a hospital before being released into the custody of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.
During pursuit, Cherokee County officers received a 911 call from inside the vehicle. The caller stated he was being held at gun point and Gorko would not allow him to stop the vehicle. The Texas Highway Patrol and Angelina County were contacted and used tire deflation devices to bring the vehicle to a stop.
Once the vehicle was stopped, law enforcement officers gave Gorko several commands to put down his weapon. He refused to comply and pointed the weapon at his hostage. Officers fired at the suspect, striking him several times. All the injuries were non-life-threatening, according to Cherokee County Sheriff Brent Dickson.
First aid was administered and Gorko was transported to a Lufkin hospital where he was treated and released into the custody of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.
The unnamed hostage was unharmed in the incident.
Gorko now faces multiple felonies, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department. These include two counts of Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Kidnapping, Manufacture and Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and Evading Arrest and Detention with a Vehicle.
