Suspect Waves to Cops - 2008
Dash-cam video has been released from behind the wheel during a wild and dangerous car chase in Gregg county with speeds of over 120 miles an hour. The chase began around 6 p-m Tuesday night and lasted more than 20 minutes through Gregg and Harrison counties. When Lakeport police spotted 26 year old Benjamin Taylor, he was only moderately speeding. They didn't know what they were in for next. "He accelerated and took off," says Lakeport police chief Wesley Freeman. Freeman was right behind Taylor during the chase. His dash-cam video captured his pursuit on fm-349. At one point Taylor was going over 120. "The risk factor was that we had to get this guy off the street before he seriously injured and innocent person" says Freeman. He made several dangerous moves around traffic, and swerved to avoid hitting trucks and spikes that were laid out on I-20. At one point he slows down as if he's giving up, then he takes off again. "Because he was so unpredictable, you may have to make a decision to put an officer in harms way," Freeman says. Finally, 4 miles past the Hallsville exit, a second set of spikes blow his tires. Then a wave of officers storm the car to get him in custody. "You don't know what you're dealing with is this person is he armed what does he have , even though he was showing his hands had his hands up through the sun roof you don't know when you get up there is he going to jerk them down does he have a weapon" says Freeman. Freeman is thankful that miraculously, no one was hurt. Taylor was being held at the Harrison county jail on D-W-I charges, but is free after posting 2-thousand dollars bond. District attorneys from Gregg and Harrison counties are discussing which county will file evading arrest charges against him. Police Report: On Tue., April 8th at appr. 17:22, I, Wesley Freeman and Officer Chris Vaughn observed a gold colored vehicle traveling west on FM 349 at 69 mph in a posted 55 mph zone. I observed the vehicle passing 3 other westbound vehicles in a no passing zone at the crest of the hill. I pursued the vehicle in excess of 100 mph. I caught up with the suspect cehicle appr. .25 miles west of Pleasant Green Rd. The suspect cehicle was observed to be a Gold colored Mitsubishi bearing TX LP#482-BBK. The suspect was observed throwing small white items out the window and then the sun roof. The suspect vehicle continued West to FM 2011. The suspect vehicle drove across center line into the SB lane of taffic. The suspect vehicle accelerated ahead of officers. As suspect vehicle approached entrance ramp to I-20, suspect passed 2 vehicles in a no passing zone who were stopped at a yield sign. Suspect vehicle turned east onto I-20 at the 592 marker. I pursued the suspect at the 596 marker passing a maroon colored vehicle. Suspect came back to the inside lane. Suspect ran upon the back of a white pickup truck that was trying to move to the right and had to slam his brakes on to avoid a collision. The suspect vehicle started to lose water and oil. The suspect vehicle slowed and pulled to the right hand shoulder as if he were iving up. As I pulled over behind him at the 598 marker and opened my door, the suspect accelerated, taking off east bound. The suspect vehicle moved back into the inside lane of traffic and accelerated to over 100 mph. DPS trooper Carl Davis joined the pursuit at appr. the 603 marker. We were advised that Harrison County troopers had spikes set up at the 606 marker. As we passed the 604 marker, a Harrison County deputy and Hallsilled PD officers pulled into the pursuit. As we approached the 606 marker, the suspect vehicle pulled into the right hand lane. Officer Vaughn advised the trooper of the suspect vehicles location and that it had its flashers on. As the trooper deployed the spikes, the suspect vehicle swerved hard to the left, missing the spikes. We continued on EB. The suspect vehicle began to accelerate faster. Trooper Joe Hill with the Harrison County DPS Office was at the 608 marker with spikes. The suspect vehicle was in the inside lane of traffic. As the suspect vehicle passed, trooper Hill was able to successfully spike the suspect vehicle, getting all 4 tires. The suspect vehicle moved to the outside lane of traffic and began to slow as the tires deflated. The suspect vehicle pulled back into the inside lane and over toward the median. H then slowed as if he was going to stop. But he sped up contin uing along the median for appr. 1/2 mile. The suspect put his hands p through the sun roof as the vehicle rolled. Officer Vaughn got on the PA and advised the suspect to stop the vehicle. At the time, the suspect applied the brake and officers rushed his vehicle. The suspect had the doors locked and force was used to bust the passenger side window out to remove the suspect. The suspect was removed and placed into custody at appr. 17:38. The suspect was identified as Taylor, Benjamin Waszell. Mr. Taylor had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He had also spilled alcohol on his clothing. Mr. Taylor advised that at the time we obsered him, he was thinking of running vehicle into trees in an attempt to kill himself. Mr. Taylor spoke with officers as we removed ants that were biting him. Mr. Taylor later stated that he had taken unknown pills and eaten cocaine. Mr. Taylor was booked into the Harrison County Jail for DWI M/B. Evading arrest with motor vehicle with previous conviction F/3 will be filed with the DA's office.
WRONG WAY BIG RIG’S FIERY CRASH 2008
Turner County, GA -- A dramatic wrong-way chase on Interstate-75 in Turner County ended in a fiery crash. The whole thing was caught on dashboard video. Turner County deputies were alerted to a tractor-trailer rig, swerving in the northbound lanes of I-75 just before 1:00am. As a Turner County deputy falls in behind him, you can see the truck swerving from side to side. You can see the truck ahead, the shiny silver box, with the lights on top. The driver weaves from the fast lane to the slow lane inside the construction zone on Northbound I-75. The Turner County deputy stays far enough back so the trucker can see his lights. The chase lasted about two miles with lights and sirens running on the cruiser. You can see the truck head into the median, then the driver starts driving north in the southbound lanes. He misses one car. Minutes later, a second tractor-trailer appears and Harrison goes around him in the slow lane. Still driving north in the southbound lane, he suddenly heads back into the median. He hits the median, the fuel tank makes the first explosion as it hits the ground, then a bigger flame cloud erupts and engulfs the truck as the trailer catches fire. What you can't see is another vehicle coming southbound. They see the truck crashed into the median, but can't stop -- they crashed into the truck as the Turner County Sheriff's deputy runs to help them. Police Chief Bryant McCard says there wasn't enough time to get in front of the truck and throw out stop sticks to blow his tires. "At the time that this all occurred, officers were responding from the city to the interstate and before they could get to the interstate the incident had occurred," said Chief McCard. The truck driver, 63-year-old Robert Harrison of Moore, South Carolina was killed. The driver of the SUV, 44-year-old Arellano Efrain of Athens, was not injured. His passenger, 38-year-old Dalia Smith of Athens, was injured, but she was treated at Tift Regional Hospital and released by late morning. Police are waiting on toxicology results to learn more about what may have caused Harrison's reckless driving. Police found no signs of alcohol or any type of drugs at the scene and say neither were a factor.
Van Roll and Bail (2000)
Suspect was very intoxicated. His drivers license was suspended and had 2 prior DUI's. He blows through a stop sign and clips a tree that causes the Van to roll over. Suspect crawls through window and tries to flee. The tree that he hits actually stopped the suspect from hitting the residence right behind it. He was doing 65 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. July 29th, 2000
ROADSIDE TROOPER A MIRACLE SURVIVOR 2006
A 20-year-old Mandeville man has pleaded guilty to causing a wreck that nearly killed a Louisiana State Trooper. The trooper's dashboard camera captured the April 4, 2006, collision on tape, showing Belock's car slam into the trooper at nearly 70 miles-an-hour. Trooper Robert Harrison had just stopped a motorist for a traffic violation along Interstate 10 near Siegen Lane. The trooper was standing outside the vehicle he'd just stopped when Belock's vehicle slammed into him. Andrew D. Belock was sentenced to five years probation after entering guilty pleas on November 13th to first-degree vehicular negligent injury and possession with intent to distribute drugs, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say Trooper Harrison agreed to the sentence of probation so that Belock could remain employed and pay an undisclosed monthly restitution to the trooper. If Belock fails to make those payments, he could then be ordered to prison. In the videotape, Belock is eventually placed in the back of Trooper Harrison's patrol car. At that point, he uses his cell phone to call his girlfriend. Audio equipment within the trooper's patrol car captured what Belock told his girlfriend that night. "I feel asleep," Belock is heard saying. "I was going 70 miles-an-hour and got in a head-on collision, baby. This person might be dead." Trooper Harrison declined our request for an on-camera interview. However, he said he approved of WAFB 9NEWS airing the videotape of his accident in hopes it would remind motorists of the importance of slowing down and pulling into the opposite lane when approaching emergency vehicles.
LEG WHIP TRAFFIC STOP 2006
DURING A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP LOUISIANA STATE TROOPER ROBERT HARRISON GETS HIT IN THE LEGS BY A PASSING MOTORIST. HE FALLS TO THE GROUND AND IS SERIOUSLY INJURED BREAKING BOTH OF HIS LEGS. HE IS NOW BACK ON PATROL (AS OF 1-10-08).
I'm Not Going To Jail! (2001)
This is a DUI tape where the suspect DID NOT WANT TO GO TO JAIL! He starts off by telling the officer some sob story about he has to get home to his kids and relieve the baby-sitter. When it is time to arrest him he bolts for his car and a short pursuit occurs. He ended up blowing a Blood and alcohol level of twice the legal limit. At the very end of the chase he faked a heart condition in the hope of being released... It didn't work!
Backwoods Pursuit
Date is unknown but occurred in Summer/Fall of 2002 Suspect had just committed a strong arm robbery at local gas station Suspect was VERY intoxicated. Went into the woods on a "Two Track" to avoid police. Pursuit ends when the road ends and suspect stops his vehicle.
Cop Out Pursuit
The suspect was on parole, he had a suspended license and was intoxicated Deputy Chris Van Horn wisely terminates the pursuit after hitting a severe drop in the road, the suspect was driving too fast and in order to keep up the deputy would have destroyed his vehicle. The suspects were located 30 minutes after the chase was terminated and arrested.