Original subtitles

[siren wailing]

[Damian speaking]

This guy was completely out of control

and needed to be stopped.

[Damian speaking]

Adrenaline's up. Heart rate's up.

[officer 1 speaking]

You feel like you're in a video game.

[officer 2 speaking]

[officer 3 speaking]

We gotta get back up to him

and make sure he doesn't kill somebody.

[officer 4 speaking]

[shift commander speaking]

[siren blaring]

[Damian] On March 6th, I was on shift at the flight unit.

About 4:30 p.m.,

we received a call of an altercation between two males

that ended up in one of the males

stealing the other male's vehicle.

[dispatcher] Southbound on Douglas...

[Damian] It's important for a quick response,

being that it was a robbery call and in progress.

[dispatcher speaking]

-[radio beeps] -[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

-[radio beeps] -[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[Damian] Even several miles out,

with the equipment that we have,

I'm able to start looking on the ground.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Damian speaking]

[Damian] I see couple of red cars,

but they're not Chevy Malibus.

It can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack.

That kind of just adds to the pressures that are involved.

I could see the driver's door flapping open and closed.

I'm pretty confident the vehicle is the one that we're looking for.

[shift commander speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Damian speaking]

Given his aggressive driving

without any officers actually in pursuit of him,

I wonder if he knows that we're actually tracking him from the sky.

The speed limit is around 35 miles an hour.

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Damian] Driving at this high rate of speed is dangerous

because the other drivers aren't expecting it.

This was a Sunday afternoon,

the beginning of spring break.

I know that there's a lot of people here,

especially out on the beach.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[dispatcher speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] As I'm hearing this go out over the radio,

I look towards the computer

and try to get some of that information

as the BOLO is coming out,

so I know exactly what I'm looking for.

Any type of call like this

has the ability to transition locations very quickly.

[siren blaring]

[Damian speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] I'm starting to get closer,

closing that gap with the suspects.

I can hear the helicopter

continuing to call out the behavior of the car.

I've listened to him 1,000 times on the radio.

He's obviously calm and collected,

but you just--

You can tell the inflection in his voice is a bit different,

and he's a little more worked up.

This guy has to be driving absolutely crazy.

-[Damian speaking] -[Eagle speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

I start to wonder, how far is this guy really gonna go?

[radio beeps]

[Damian speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] In Pinellas County,

all of the beaches are barrier islands.

There's only a certain number of bridges to get there.

So, a suspect can easily find themselves trapped

on an island with no way out.

[Damian speaking]

[dispatcher speaking]

[Damian speaking]

The suspect is driving erratically

with no one around him.

So, in my head, the first thing I'm thinking

is either alcohol,

or drugs.

[siren wailing]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[officer speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] We work out a plan for my partner

to set up stop sticks,

right at the city line on Gulf Boulevard,

and for me to go to the end of the bridge

the vehicle is coming over.

[Damian] With knowing that there's more deputies responding

and that they're getting closer,

it's making me a little bit more confident

that this is gonna get ended pretty soon.

[siren blaring]

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Dep. Plumb] I see the vehicle coming over the bridge

and it passes me.

Extremely fast.

[indistinct radio chatter]

I'm thinking, you know, my partner's safety is in jeopardy.

[Damian speaking]

[siren blaring]

[tires screeching]

[Damian speaking]

Unfortunately, the suspect saw and...

he swerved into oncoming traffic

and really increased his speed

to avoid those stop sticks.

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

Adrenaline's up, heart rate's up.

Like, this is as crazy as the helicopter was saying.

[indistinct conversation]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] He's taking risks to get ahead of me

that I'm just not willing to take.

I need to really focus,

pay attention to what I'm doing,

because one mistake could be fatal.

[Damian speaking]

I thought that he was looking

maybe for a place to jump out and run on foot.

I zoom in on the suspect to see if maybe he's got a weapon.

[Dep. Plumb] Him being able to successfully carjack a Corvette

is very dangerous for us.

They sit much lower to the ground,

they are much faster than us,

and they have way better handling.

It will be nearly impossible for me to keep up with him.

[siren blaring]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] So, the first thing in my head is, "All right,

I need to hammer down. I need to speed up.

I need to get there."

[siren blaring]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

[Damian speaking]

As I start to close the gap,

I'm thinking, I can try to ram into him.

Or PIT it.

And as I pull up,

he's able to get into the vehicle...

right as I'm attempting to PIT him.

You miss the PIT by a couple of seconds.

It's so frustrating.

[officer] Control, he just passed by me.

[indistinct radio conversation]

[Damian speaking]

[shift commander speaking]

The shift commander has come over the radio

and given us instructions

that we can stop this guy any way we need to.

That's not as easy as people would think.

He's able to go around medians

by going in the wrong direction.

I'm just not able to do that.

I need to make sure that I'm not gonna hit anyone,

I'm not gonna cause any more damage.

[Damian speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

Now he's heading towards probably one of the most densely populated

pedestrian areas in the city.

And at that point, really, nobody is safe.

[siren blaring]

[Damian speaking]

My adrenaline is starting to go a little bit.

I need to remind myself to calm back down

so that I can give good information to the deputies on the ground.

[Eagle speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] You feel like you're in a video game.

But obviously, out in the real world,

people die and you can't come back to life.

You just-- it's such a hard thing to do,

drive by an accident scene

not knowing if anybody's hurt.

I'm still the lead car

and I'm the only one behind him.

[shift commander speaking]

[officer speaking] Go!

Get out of the way, please.

[Dep. Plumb] I think the pressure of being alone

during a pursuit is...

It's very heavy, it weighs very heavy on you.

[siren blaring]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

Now, he's not really able to drive as fast,

which is a benefit to us.

But, the driving becomes a bit more erratic.

He has had so many near misses.

It's terrifying.

The road is getting more narrow.

The number of people are increasing,

which makes a PIT maneuver far more dangerous.

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] A PIT is just going to have to happen at some point.

[officer speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] I can see in the distance lights coming at me.

So, a couple more marked cars

and an unmarked car coming at me.

They're much bigger than me.

They have much better front bumpers.

[officer speaking]

[shift commander speaking]

[officer speaking]

[Eagle speaking]

[shift commander speaking]

[siren blaring]

[Dep. Plumb speaking]

The suspect vehicle is able to get closer to the wall,

go off the road,

narrowly miss one of the Marine unit pickup trucks.

[crashes]

Only clipping it.

I'm just so frustrated.

He's left a trail of destruction,

multiple car accidents,

and we just aren't catching a break.

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] He's able to beat two PITs.

And he must just be feeling

like he can get away with anything at this point.

What is it going to take to get this guy stopped?

[Dep. Plumb] On the sidewalk, past the car.

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] He is now basically on a rim,

which has caused his vehicle

to start fishtailing and losing control.

I'm thinking, "You can't fail."

Adrenaline's running, heart rate's high.

I know that this could be the only attempt we get.

As I move in for the PIT...

[crashes]

and strike the rear of his vehicle...

It pushes him into a white vehicle.

What I couldn't see at the time

was that there were two pedestrians on the sidewalk

on the other side of the white vehicle.

And there's a mom and a stroller

walking across the parking lot.

[Damian speaking]

It looks clear as day,

like, they're about to get crushed.

And all of my fears that I've had the entire pursuit

just flash before me.

I thought he was gonna hit the people.

All right, he just signal 4'd.

By some miracle,

the white car never struck the pedestrians.

It was that sigh of relief.

They were able to get out of the way.

Uninjured.

[Damian speaking]

But the suspect narrowly missing

that mother and the baby stroller,

it really put into sharp contrast

of how reckless this guy was.

As the suspect goes towards the back of the apartment,

I knew that it was a dead end

and he really had nowhere to go.

[officer speaking]

[man] I don't know.

[officer] I got the fence.

[Damian speaking]

It's pretty dense foliage that grows along the shoreline.

I lost sight of him for a second.

[officer speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] I'm now in the mangroves,

running after somebody

with a whole new set of unique challenges.

The mud is up to my knees.

You don't know what kind of animals are in there.

And you're trying to make your way

through small, rooted trees.

I'm thinking, "Does he have a weapon?

Is he under the influence of drugs?"

His actions have already shown us

that he's willing to do anything.

[Damian speaking]

I was relieved to see the suspect reemerge from the foliage.

19931 Gulf Boulevard.

19931, he's in the mangroves all the way out by the edge of the water.

I was listening, so knew I was just north of him

so he was kind of running towards me.

And this guy was completely out of control

and needed to be stopped.

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] I've got all this gear.

All of it's going to become immediately useless

if I get in the water.

And he's going to have the upper hand.

He's bigger than me.

He's erratic. He's unpredictable.

[James speaking]

[officer 2 speaking]

[James speaking]

[bleep]

[James] My concern was, you know, does he have a weapon?

We had a few guys that had less lethal out,

which was our tasers.

And then we had a few guys

with their service weapon out also.

[Damian speaking]

[officer 1 speaking]

[James speaking]

I observed the suspect pulling something out of his pocket.

And then he started ingesting whatever the substance was.

Generally, people do that with drugs

that they're trying to get rid of.

[officer speaking]

I don't think he had any comprehension

of what he was really doing.

[officer speaking]

-[officer 1 speaking] -[officer 2 speaking]

[officer 2 speaking]

[officer 1 speaking]

[officer 3 speaking]

[officer 4 speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] That's another thought that you have to really process

as you're coming up to take somebody into custody.

That last unknown risk that you've not been able to quell.

Trying to haul you in.

[man speaking]

[James speaking]

He almost seemed defeated, like he knew

he was just going to be taken into custody.

[Damian speaking]

[indistinct shouting]

[bleep]

He was punching at us. He was kicking at us.

He was grabbing different deputies.

Um, just nonstop fighting.

[indistinct conversation]

[officer speaking]

[bleep]

[officer speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] Unfortunately, in a boat, it's very unstable.

It's like a fish out of water.

-[bleep] -[man groans]

[officer 1 speaking]

[officer 2 speaking]

[officer 3 speaking] Get handcuffs on his arm.

[officer 4 speaking]

[panting]

[dispatcher speaking indistinctly]

It was a great feeling that this whole chaos was over with finally.

[officer 1 speaking]

[officer 2 speaking]

[Damian speaking]

[Dep. Plumb] I cannot believe all of that just happened.

And you have that sigh of relief.

[James] He was speaking to one of the deputies,

and he did admit to consuming cocaine and marijuana

at some point in time.

Whether that was before the chase,

during the chase, we weren't 100% sure.

-That Mustang was catching on fire, so... -[officer] Yeah. All right.

[dispatcher speaking indistinctly]

What have you got?

[Dep. Plumb] Luckily for us,

Deputy Mitchell made it back to the roadway.

And was quickly able to put out the fire on the Mustang.

[deputy speaking]

A man faces more than 30 charges

after a wild police chase in Pinellas County.

The sheriff's office says that Kenneth Lunford

led them on a chase in multiple stolen vehicles on Sunday.

Investigators say it started when Lunford stole

a man's keys following a drug deal.

Authorities were able to catch him after he crashed

into an Indian Shores parking lot and then ran into the water.

No one was seriously hurt.

This is hands down the most wild

and chaotic pursuit I've ever been a part of.

He's in the water.

The goal of any pursuit is to end it peacefully

and without anyone being injured.

And that's exactly what we did.

[Dennis] Fairburn is a metro Atlanta area.

You got a lot of highways that goes through Fairburn.

It's busy all throughout the day.

My name is Dennis.

I'm a Corporal at Fairburn Police Department.

What I would typically do in Fairburn on shift is

I would look for traffic stops,

look for anything that's been broken into over the night.

One of my favorite things is honestly the adrenaline.

I'm an adrenaline junkie.

You never know what kind of call you're going to go to,

you never know what you're going to get into.

Around 11:30 a.m. I received a alert

of a stolen vehicle in the city of Fairburn.

[Sean] I remember hearing the call come out over the radio.

All the patrol officers that were with me

in the police department were running out the door

because we wanted to get in on the action.

[engine accelerating]

-[siren wailing] -[officer speaking]

[Dennis] I was hauling butt to get there.

Just to get to the area, I was doing 100.

As I approached the intersection, I looked to my left

and looked to my right.

As I looked to my left...

...I located the vehicle

that matched what the alert said.

I could see that there was two people in there

that I knew of for sure.

I didn't want them to know

that I knew that their car was stolen.

So what I did was I went to the next street

and I turned around.

I made sure that I kept eyes on the vehicle

and letting my colleagues know

where I was and where the vehicle was.

[Sean] It was relatively close to the police department.

We came out of the parking lot.

We had made a left onto a four lane highway

and started to go through downtown area.

[Dennis speaking]

There's always strength in numbers

and that was just the game plan there.

The more officers we could have there to trap the car in,

a better chance we had of stopping a pursuit.

Pacheco was approaching northbound on highway 29

and then Captain Israel was on West Campbellton facing east.

And Vanloo, he actually came on Highway 29.

[officer 1 speaking]

[officer 2 speaking]

Vanloo pulled forward in front of the vehicle

to which then I pulled forward as well.

[police siren blaring]

I thought for sure we had him.

The car started going in reverse.

I said, "Here we go."

Officer Pacheco immediately put his vehicle back in drive

trying to make sure the driver couldn't go forward again.

But the suspect pushed his car out of the way

and went up onto the sidewalk.

The passenger was on the rear passenger side.

I saw him get out of the vehicle.

He took off running.

[horns honking]

Any pursuit, there's a certain level of danger.

You just never know what dangers are there.

[sirens wailing]

[officer over radio] I'm clear. I'm catching up.

We're going southbound.

About 100 miles an hour.

[officer speaking]

[Sean] So I jumped the sidewalk with the patrol vehicle.

I wasn't quick enough and he got down by me

and the driver continued to accelerate at a high rate of speed.

My main concern, of course, was public safety.

Got to get back up to him and make sure

he doesn't kill somebody.

[indistinct radio chatter]

The dangers that you can run into is obviously

hitting another citizen's vehicle.

You have to pay attention in trying to assure

that I'm not going to hurt anybody.

Honestly, you just have to rely on your sirens.

[sirens wailing]

[officer speaking over radio]

[Sean] Going south on Highway 29,

our speeds were well above 100.

If you hit another vehicle going that fast,

the likelihood of a fatality is... it's there.

It's a very real possibility.

There was so much risk involved.

[Dennis speaking]

While I was attempting to catch up to the vehicle,

I just breathed and I told myself to calm down,

relax, look around me, be aware of my surroundings.

-Sometimes they do try to drive very recklessly... -[officer speaking]

...to try to get us to cancel chasing them.

[Sean] We have to stop this driver

before they strike somebody head on.

[indistinct chatter]

[Dennis] The vehicle already had damage to it.

There are things falling off of the car,

so I had to avoid those.

[Sean] There was a lot of dust.

We have a landfill in our small country town,

and the trucks were coming out

at that time of day, and there was a lot of dust.

And at one point, we were doing good

just to see each other's vehicles.

[Dennis speaking]

The cars had to duck and weave and go into opposite lanes

of travel themselves to avoid being struck.

[Dennis speaking]

I think the driver was honestly just trying

to get me to cancel the chase, um, and be very reckless.

But due to how clear the roadway was

and the traffic, I was able to continue.

PIT maneuver is causing a car accident to end a pursuit.

I was very excited to do the PIT

because it was going to be my first one.

But I also had to assure that I didn't hurt anybody else.

[officer speaking]

[Dennis speaking]

[Dennis speaking]

Due to the suspect being erratic and very reckless...

I was not able to safely do a successful PIT.

I wasn't upset or anything.

It just has to be right because I don't want

to mess up or injure anybody else.

He went on the opposite side of the road

and was traveling head-on into traffic.

[Dennis] The driver clearly does not care

about anyone or anything.

He's just trying to get away from the police.

[indistinct chatter]

[sirens wailing]

[Dennis speaking]

The vehicle's going up and down

causing extensive damage.

I thought the vehicle was going to be disabled,

to which the driver was going to be running on foot.

At the moment, the only people in danger

are the people inside that stolen vehicle.

So I took the opportunity

to shoot ahead and block off traffic

so no other citizens would be in danger.

[sirens wailing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Sean speaking]

[indistinct]

[Dennis speaking]

[indistinct chatter]

[Dennis speaking]

[indistinct chatter]

[Sean] When the vehicle got back on the roadway, I was stunned.

I did not think the vehicle would be able

to continue to drive.

It looked like at any moment it could fall apart.

[sirens wailing]

[indistinct radio chatter]

The next goal to stop the pursuit

was just wait for an opportunity

to safely conduct a PIT maneuver.

When you're going down a road like that,

it is very hard to set up a PIT maneuver

due to the windiness of it,

the narrowness of it.

Speeds on those country roads

in those 35 mile per hour zones

would have been dangerous,

you wouldn't be able to see oncoming traffic

around those curves or bends

while trying to execute that maneuver.

[indistinct]

[sirens wailing]

[dispatcher speaking indistinctly]

[Dennis speaking]

I was going to attempt a PIT maneuver.

I thought the driver was going to turn left.

However, the driver decided to take a right,

so I was unable to make contact.

[dispatcher] Copy. A right on Collinsworth.

[Dennis speaking]

The initial contact on the vehicle, it was not enough.

[indistinct chatter]

[tires screeching]

[dispatcher] Copy. A right on Collinsworth.

[Dennis speaking]

[indistinct]

[Dennis speaking]

-[thuds] -[tires screeching]

I made contact with the vehicle,

spun the vehicle out.

-[thuds] -[tires screeching]

The vehicle went into the ditch.

[officer speaking]

[sirens wailing]

[Sean] Our goal is to make sure

they don't jump out of the vehicle

and take off running and get away on foot.

[bleep]

[Sean] We know they were doing anything to run away,

so now you don't know

if they're going to continue to fight with you.

Are they done?

Are they in need of immediate medical assistance?

[sirens wailing]

[officer] [indistinct] They're in custody.

I felt relieved. I felt good

because we got a suspect in custody.

Nobody harmed. Nobody hurt.

I mean, you can't get any better than that.

He does not want to be caught,

and there's definitely a reason why.

[tires screeching]

[crashing noises]

[sirens wailing]

[indistinct radio chatter]

Now we're dealing with a madman.

[indistinct radio chatter]

-[gunshots blasting] -[glass shattering]

[man] We need an ambulance now!

In my mind, I was ready for a shoot-out.

[gunshots blasting]