SUV SIDESWIPE 2008
A COUPLE DRIVING IN GEORGIA ARE SIDESWIPED BY AN SUV. THEY FOLLOW THE DRIVER TO GET HIS LICENSE PLATE. THE SUV DRIVES INTO A DITCH AND THE COUPLE RUNS TO A NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE TO GET HELP. BUT WHEN THEY COME BACK THE MAN ROBS ALL THREE PEOPLE AND STEALS A PICKUP TRUCK. THAT’S WHEN POLICE ARE CALLED AND A HIGH SPEED CHASE IS UNDERWAY. EFFINGHAM COUNTY, GA -- An Effingham County man is behind bars after a stand-off with authorities Saturday night. It started around 7:00 pm on Highway 21 outside of Springfield. A couple was driving when they say a man rammed into the back of their car and took off. The couple pursued, trying to get his license number, and the man crashed off Albert Arnsdorff Road. The couple went to get help from a neighbor nearby and when they went back to the scene to check on the man, he had a gun, robbed them and stole the neighbors truck. Authorities were called, and spotted the man driving by Old Dixie and Sister Ferry Roads, where they chased him and he crashed again at Morgan Circle and Clyo Shawnee Road. A stand-off with the man ended after a few hours. Police arrested Jack Thorne and took him into custody, charging him with armed robbery, aggravated assault and posession of a fire-arm, with more charges pending. WTOC spoke with the couple who were sideswiped and then robbed."I thought I was gonna die," Mark Lavin told WTOC. Not exactly the words you would want to describe a Saturday night. "We were just coming home for a peaceful evening and everything went a little haywire," Mark said. Mark and Brenda Lavin say their drive home along Highway 21 took an unexpected turn. "A car sideswiped us on Highway 21. I was sleeping and it woke me up," Mark said. "I said to my wife who was driving, .what was that? We had just got hit." The Lavin's weren't sure how much damage was done to their car and decided to follow the vehicle to get a license plate number. However, the man sped away and when they found him, they say his truck was overturned in a ditch. They went to get help from a neighbor, and all three people went back to the scene. "We were trying to make sure no one was bleeding to death in the car, under the car or thrown," Brenda said. "We hollered is anyone around." "The man came out of the woods and had a gun in his hand," Mark said. "And then when he came out with a gun, it was like, uh, we were all terrified. We didn't know what to do." "You look down the barrel of a gun, if you never have been in that situation, it's something you don't wanna do," Mark said. "I thought I was gonna die." Police say it was Jack Thorne. He allegedly stole money from the Lavins and the neighbor, and then took the neighbors' truck. That's when the police chase and stand-off happened. "We didn't find out until this morning from your website he had been apprehended," Brenda said. Thorn was arrested after keeping police at bay for several hours and threatening suicide. "Thankfully, everything turned out ok," Brenda said. The Lavins are safe, their car is banged up with minor damage, but from now on they may approach similar situations a little differently. "I've been someone who will stop and help," Mark said. "I will probably think twice about stopping again." Thorne is in police custody. His aunt helped police talk him into turning himself over and avoiding a suicide attempt.