Mark Tyson
Member
CHASE ENDS IN DRAMA ;
Rifle fire, bold move halt truck
Copyright 2003 Times Publishing Company
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
August 11, 2003 Monday
The driver of a stolen semitrailer truck led deputies on a cross-county chase that ended violently Sunday afternoon on State Road 44 just west of the city limits.
Deputies fired at least 17 shots from assault rifles at the semi after Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy gave permission to use deadly force to end the pursuit.
During the chase, the driver swerved during several unsuccessful attempts to crash into deputies' cruisers and even drove toward the sheriff's office helicopter hovering a few feet above the highway in front of him in an effort to stop him. The helicopter pilot was able to push his craft back up in the air in time to avoid a collision, said Ronda Hemminger Evan, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office.
The bullets damaged the semi's radiator and punctured several tires. Spike strips laid across the road also shredded more tires, but the driver kept rolling on the rims, going past the Wal-Mart at Croft Road and SR 44.
The chase ended after sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Jim McIntyre leaped aboard the slow-moving truck, punched out the window and hauled the driver out the passenger window to the ground just east of Arlene Avenue.
The suspect, Carl Percell Dawson, 26, struggled briefly with Sgt. McIntyre before being subdued. Dawson's only known address is a post office box in Trenton.
Sgt. McIntyre suffered a cut to the back of his head and to his left arm during the struggle. Dawson also had some minor cuts to his head and legs. Neither men was hospitalized.
Earlier in the 45-minute chase, McIntyre, a member of the sheriff's office special weapons and tactics team, fired 11 rounds from his assault rifle at the truck as it was traveling south on N Turkey Oak Drive east of Crystal River.
"He was shooting as he was driving alongside the truck," Evan said. "But the bullets didn't have an immediate effect."
Later in the chase, two deputies stationed in the median of SR 44 east of Lecanto fired three shots each from their AR-15 rifles, hitting the semi's tires.
The chase started in Chiefland in Levy County, where the truck was sighted after being reported stolen. The chase, which involved Levy sheriff's patrol cars, reached Citrus County on U.S. 19 N at 2:15 p.m. At first, Citrus deputies were only going to assist Levy County units by clearing the road ahead, but then an order was given to join the chase and stop the truck, Evan said.
The chase went south on U.S. 19, then on N Turkey Oak Drive, which bypasses downtown Crystal River. From there, Dawson turned east on SR 44, passing by Meadowcrest, Rock Crusher Road and Lecanto.
The whole time, he was surrounded by deputies from Citrus and Levy counties. At the traffic light at SR 44 and County Road 491 in Lecanto, the semi hit three spike strips, which inflicted more damage on the 18-wheeler.
"Those began to really slow him down," Evan said.
As the chase approached Inverness the helicopter pilot swooped down at Croft Road, hoping that the whirling blades would persuade Dawson to give up. After that effort failed, McIntyre received permission from Sheriff Dawsy to make his bold jump aboard the truck. Evan said the semi was moving at 8-10 mph.
"He jumped out of his car, ran alongside the passenger's side of the truck and jumped on the running board and smashed the window," Evan said. "He was able to reach inside and grab the driver, who then lunged at him."
After a brief struggle, Dawson was handcuffed.
Dawson faces four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, vehicle theft, fleeing and resisting arrest with violence. He is being held without bail at the Citrus County jail.
- Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 Send e-mail to [email protected].
Rifle fire, bold move halt truck
Copyright 2003 Times Publishing Company
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
August 11, 2003 Monday
The driver of a stolen semitrailer truck led deputies on a cross-county chase that ended violently Sunday afternoon on State Road 44 just west of the city limits.
Deputies fired at least 17 shots from assault rifles at the semi after Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy gave permission to use deadly force to end the pursuit.
During the chase, the driver swerved during several unsuccessful attempts to crash into deputies' cruisers and even drove toward the sheriff's office helicopter hovering a few feet above the highway in front of him in an effort to stop him. The helicopter pilot was able to push his craft back up in the air in time to avoid a collision, said Ronda Hemminger Evan, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office.
The bullets damaged the semi's radiator and punctured several tires. Spike strips laid across the road also shredded more tires, but the driver kept rolling on the rims, going past the Wal-Mart at Croft Road and SR 44.
The chase ended after sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Jim McIntyre leaped aboard the slow-moving truck, punched out the window and hauled the driver out the passenger window to the ground just east of Arlene Avenue.
The suspect, Carl Percell Dawson, 26, struggled briefly with Sgt. McIntyre before being subdued. Dawson's only known address is a post office box in Trenton.
Sgt. McIntyre suffered a cut to the back of his head and to his left arm during the struggle. Dawson also had some minor cuts to his head and legs. Neither men was hospitalized.
Earlier in the 45-minute chase, McIntyre, a member of the sheriff's office special weapons and tactics team, fired 11 rounds from his assault rifle at the truck as it was traveling south on N Turkey Oak Drive east of Crystal River.
"He was shooting as he was driving alongside the truck," Evan said. "But the bullets didn't have an immediate effect."
Later in the chase, two deputies stationed in the median of SR 44 east of Lecanto fired three shots each from their AR-15 rifles, hitting the semi's tires.
The chase started in Chiefland in Levy County, where the truck was sighted after being reported stolen. The chase, which involved Levy sheriff's patrol cars, reached Citrus County on U.S. 19 N at 2:15 p.m. At first, Citrus deputies were only going to assist Levy County units by clearing the road ahead, but then an order was given to join the chase and stop the truck, Evan said.
The chase went south on U.S. 19, then on N Turkey Oak Drive, which bypasses downtown Crystal River. From there, Dawson turned east on SR 44, passing by Meadowcrest, Rock Crusher Road and Lecanto.
The whole time, he was surrounded by deputies from Citrus and Levy counties. At the traffic light at SR 44 and County Road 491 in Lecanto, the semi hit three spike strips, which inflicted more damage on the 18-wheeler.
"Those began to really slow him down," Evan said.
As the chase approached Inverness the helicopter pilot swooped down at Croft Road, hoping that the whirling blades would persuade Dawson to give up. After that effort failed, McIntyre received permission from Sheriff Dawsy to make his bold jump aboard the truck. Evan said the semi was moving at 8-10 mph.
"He jumped out of his car, ran alongside the passenger's side of the truck and jumped on the running board and smashed the window," Evan said. "He was able to reach inside and grab the driver, who then lunged at him."
After a brief struggle, Dawson was handcuffed.
Dawson faces four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, vehicle theft, fleeing and resisting arrest with violence. He is being held without bail at the Citrus County jail.
- Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 Send e-mail to [email protected].