Pages past - Jan. 24

January 1974

• A Fort Worth, Texas man by the name of William Harvey Baker led the Tucumcari police on a vehicle chase that ended tragically. Baker was stopped on West Tucumcari Boulevard because the car he was driving had Texas dealership plates. The officers became suspicious with Baker's answers and had him follow them to the police station to clarify the matter. Baker veered across the median trying to escape and placed a .357 revolver to his head and pulled the trigger while three hitchhikers he had picked up earlier in the day watched in horror. The vehicle was traveling at 40 mph when Baker shot himself and came to a stop after hitting the railroad embankment. Officers spoke with Baker's wife in Fort Worth who told them she had not seen him since Saturday when he left to work at the car lot from which the car was registered. Tucumcari police discovered Baker was facing charges in Texas for giving a false statement to officers after he was involved in the disappearance of $35,000 worth of diamonds that were later recovered.