ORANGE, Texas — The 35-year-old man who police in Orange believe is responsible for a string of crimes over two days that ended in a three hour standoff before he was arrested has a lengthy criminal record.
Chadwick Alan McMillen, 35, of Orange, was arrested after the Orange Regional Tactical Team entered an apartment in Orange where he had held police at bay for more than three hours.
He's currently being held in the Orange County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a weapon on a public servant for firing a shotgun at officers during a chase early Tuesday morning. His bond on the charge has been set at $1 million.
12News dug into McMillen's criminal history. His record shows charges dating back to 2005, which included at least eight burglary charges, including stolen vehicles and guns. Most of those charges are out of Orange County.
McMillen was sentenced to 10 years on a gun conviction.
Prison records show he was released from prison in Sept. 2022.
It all began early Monday morning...
Police in West Orange got a call at about 4 a.m. Monday morning reporting a burglary at the West Orange-Cove CISD transportation building. When officers got to the scene, they discovered an SUV was missing.
Orange Police say they believe that McMillen stole that SUV and used it about an hour later to crash into the Stateline Valero convenience store along Interstate 10 just west of Main St.
Surveillance video shows the SUV crashing into the store twice. A separate camera from inside the store shows a man walking around, knocking over a display case and grabbing the register full of cash. He then fled in the SUV.
24 hours later...
Literally just across the interstate from the Stateline Valero convenience store police say they believe McMillen is the person who tried to shoot a deadbolt lock open to break into Freys Landscape just off Interstate 10. He ended up busting a window to get in police said.
The owner, Mark Frey, got an alert from his security system about the break-in at around 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Police say McMillen stole a pick up truck from Freys Landscape and a short time later, just over a mile east, officers spotted the truck behind the Horseman Store along the interstate.
When officers approached police say McMillen drove away leading them on a chase which ended when he wrecked the truck in a canal near Cordrey Ave and 16th St.
During that chase they say he fired shotgun several times at the officers who were chasing him.
McMillen ran away from the wrecked truck which, in photos from the scene, now had a U-Haul car dolly trailer hitched to its bumper. He was able to elude officers.
Police say they believe McMillen is also responsible for a stolen trailer and damage at My Garage Self Storage.
Later that day investigators determined that it was McMillen who stole the pickup and fired at officers during the chase and got a warrant for his arrest for firing at them.
When police found McMillen at the James Zay Roberts Apartments in the 600 block of Burton he refused to come out triggering the standoff that ended in his arrest by the SWAT team after three hours.
Police say they expect to charge him with evading arrest in a vehicle as well as a charge for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
McMillen is being held on a $1 million bond.
Residents at the apartments tell 12News they were scared when police knocked on their doors, telling them to evacuate.
Mary Broussard and her sister Annette Richard was forced out of their apartment by police.
"it was very frightening to me, they called me to come and get out the house. I had to hurry up and take my sister out the house, not knowing what was going on, she was scared, I was scared," Richard said.
Police staged all throughout the apartment complex, even near the playground where Broussard's grandkids play.
The children were also inside the apartment when the police knocked.
"They told me that the police was knocking at our door, my granddaughter and my sister. I just continue to pray for my grandchildren and family because this life is getting rough you know," Broussard said.
Defense Attorney Ryan Gertz weighed in on what could be next for McMillen.
"If he has prior felony convictions, that first degree felony could then be bumped up several levels to either a minimum of 15 years or a minimum of 25 years," Gertz said.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.