Christian Family Services Ministry

8-16-2023 – A Word to the Wise – There have been several requests for more police stories, so here is one.

July 13, 1985

It is 11:23 in the evening. Tony and I are looking for stolen vehicles, as usual. The prominently displayed fresh hot sheet already has numerous changes indicating those recovered and those just identified as stolen.

My habit is to shine a seven-cell mag light out the passenger window, point at the oncoming vehicle tag, and compare it with licenses on the hot sheet. It is amazing how quickly your mind memorizes tags. So, it is this evening, driving up on a 1981 Monte Carlo, we both recognized it as a possible stolen. I grabbed the microphone ‘341 rolling stolen.’ “Go ahead, 341.” 255LXH, it’s a 1981 Monte Carlo.’

‘Tony, it looks like there are two occupants.’ ‘Yea, I see them. Doc, you take the passenger, I will take the driver. Ok, ‘341, that is a confirmed stolen.’ 341 received start us some cover we are northbound on Lamar at Pine Street.’

‘342, we are close we will cover them. 341 to 342, we will wait a couple of minutes until you get closer to light them up. Richard and Eva in 342 are closing in quickly. ‘Tony, what do you want to bet they run?’ ‘I bet you’re right I do not even think he knows we are back here yet.’ About that time 342 passes us and pulls up beside the stolen vehicle, turning their spotlight on the subject. We immediately turn on our red lights.

You could see the startled expression on the driver’s face. A black male about 25 turned and looked at Richard and Eva in 342. He then checked his rearview mirror and saw us.

You could almost see him thinking about whether to run or not. He made his decision, and his vehicle started to accelerate. 342 pulled in front of us, and the chase is on. Windows up, air conditioning off.

‘341 and 342 in a chase. Northbound on Lamar from Grand Ave, a dark green Monte Carlo, 255LXH, occupied two times.’

The emergency signal over the radio cuts the air inside our squad. ‘All elements 341 and 342 are in chase Northbound on Lamar from Grand Ave. The vehicle is a 1981 tan Monte Carlo taken in a hijacking this morning. Suspects are considered armed and dangerous. 341 What is your location?’

By now, we are traveling 80 mph, and the suspect’s vehicle is swinging back and forth across the center line. ‘341, the suspect is turning right on Cadiz. 341, the suspect just ran the stoplight at Griffin.’ ‘Tony, look, he is entering the westbound entrance ramp of Interstate 30 we are going to be going the wrong way.’

342 is in the lead, and we are right behind them. We go onto I-30 in the wrong direction of travel against traffic. Looking up, we see the headlights of 4 lanes of approaching traffic about a quarter mile away. Suddenly the suspect sees that he is going in the wrong direction and makes a quick U-turn, and heads back westbound.

342 cannot make the turn and skids out of control. Tony, who is an excellent driver, makes the turn, and we are back in the lead. ‘341, we are now Southbound on R.L. Thornton.’ We start to catch up, and the suspect begins to weave between cars forcing some off the road. Suddenly, he crosses three lanes of traffic, driving between two other vehicles forcing one into the left guard rail and exiting onto Houston Street Viaduct Street. The exit ramp goes downhill and veers to the left. There is a deep dip at the bottom of the ramp, and the suspect hits it hard and blows his left front tire.

‘341 the suspect just blew his left front tire’, this will be over in a moment. But over it is not. ‘341 The suspect just turned left onto Zang Blvd. ‘341, we and now on a divided four-lane street, and the suspect is driving in the wrong lane southbound.’ Tire rubber and sparks are flying everywhere. The oncoming traffic is trying to get out of the way. Fortunately, traffic is light.

‘341, we are passing the 1400 block of Zang.’ The suspect’s speed increases, and now we are back to 80 MPH. ‘341, we are crossing Illinois Ave.’ Somehow, we have lost 342, and there are no other elements around. ‘341 is the helicopter up?’ ‘1516, we are coming up on your location now’. Suddenly the suspect jumps the curb and starts down a grass embankment leading back onto R.L. Thornton, right where it intersects with 6 lanes of traffic going each way. The suspect never makes it. Stopping, the driver exits and runs towards the freeway.

Tony comes to a halt right behind the suspect vehicle, jumps out, and goes after the driver, who reaches the freeway. I jump out, run to the passenger door, jerk it open, grab the suspect by the collar throw him to the ground with my knee in his back. I handcuff the suspect after a short struggle. Several additional squads pull up.

I then put out a call. ‘341, ‘my partner is on the ground running northbound on the freeway.

‘All elements, we have an officer on the ground running north on the freeway chasing a suspect.’

‘341 to partner.’ I repeat several times, and then Tony comes on the air. ‘341 to partner I have the suspect on Hasley, send an element over here. Doc, I lost my backup weapon when I jumped the barrier on the freeway. See if you can find it.’

I go down to the freeway. I am amazed there are six lanes of busy traffic going in both directions. I will never know how he made it across. I cross to the center lanes and see his weapon on the ground. ‘341 to partner I found it meets you back at the squad car.’ The chase is over at 11:45. The suspects are wanted for a series of armed robberies. They go to jail. It is 4: a.m. before we finish the paperwork.