Runaway John Deere tractor driver chased by Texas police for an hour in slow-speed pursuit

High-speed pursuits of runaway vehicles are synonymous with US policing - so a suspect leading trailing cop cars on a moderately paced chase in a tractor stands out as a little out of the norm.

The unlikely slow-speed action, which was caught on camera by TV station KIII, happened across Texan farm fields near the town of Driscoll in Nueces County on Wednesday.

Alan Baade, 45, had at least two vehicles tailing him before he brought his John Deere tractor to a halt at gunpoint after a remarkable hour on the run.

It may have looked like a merry chase but the forceful arrest by three officers at the end of it suggested police saw him as a considerable threat.

Police said he dragged an officer with his tractor before fleeing to a field off a local motorway.

Baade was taken into custody and taken - by car - to the Nueces County Jail.

He was held, without bail, for aggravated assault of a peace officer and evading arrest, adding to an existing stalking charge.