Stop Stick News: February: 02-17-2025: An Intoxicated Mother in the School Pick-up Lane, Teens Stopped by a Multi-Agency Sting, A California Slow-Speed Chase & More
Stop Stick News: 02-17-2025: Inside this edition: An Intoxicated Mother in the School Pick-up Lane, Teens Stopped by a Multi-Agency Sting, A California Slow-Speed Chase, A Stolen Forestry Service Vehicle, and more
With over 500,000 vehicles equipped across the U.S. and worldwide and over 50,000 documented pursuits ended safely, Stop Stick® is law enforcement’s most trusted brand today. We are committed to serving those who serve us by providing training and proven safe, simple-to-use, and effective tools. Now the Stop Sticks Weekly News: Inside this edition:
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A suspect is in custody following a high-speed pursuit starting in College Station.
According to College Station Police (CSPD) Brad Ellwood, 31, drove away from officers after they attempted to stop him near the Walmart in College Station.
During the chase, he reportedly threw multiple baggies of crystal methamphetamine out of the window of his vehicle.
The pursuit ended in Hempstead after Ellwood ran over a spike strip. CSPD says officers were able to locate the majority of the baggies of drugs on the side of Highway 6 in Navasota.
REDDING, Calif. — In a dramatic sequence of events on Thursday afternoon, Redding police arrested Darlene Steiger after she allegedly picked up her children from school while intoxicated and led officers on a high-speed chase.
The incident began when Steiger’s 18-year-old son, concerned about his mother’s condition, discreetly texted 911. He reported that Steiger appeared to be driving under the influence after collecting him and his younger siblings, aged 13 and 11, from school.
Authorities located Steiger’s vehicle near East Cypress Avenue and Churn Creek Road. However, before they could initiate a traffic stop, Steiger reportedly accelerated away. In an effort to halt the vehicle, officers deployed a spike strip, successfully puncturing one of the car’s tires. Despite the damage, Steiger continued driving.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Nashville Police Department put out an alert for felony suspects last weekend, but those suspects made the mistake of heading into Williamson County.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, members of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the Brentwood Police Department converged on a suspect vehicle wanted out of Nashville.
News 2 obtained video showing the moment Williamson County law enforcement swooped in and executed a felony stop on the suspects, the majority of whom were minors, according to officials.
Brentwood officers slowed the speeding Nissan Altima using spike strips on Franklin Road at Concord Road. Once the white sedan stopped, authorities surrounded it with their guns drawn, ordering the occupants not to move. Then, they had the occupants get out of the vehicle one at a time.
A man is in custody after leading police on a bizarre slow-speed chase across the East Bay early Saturday morning.
The incident started at around 3 a.m. in San Leandro. Police responded to Walmart for a call about a theft.
As police were investigating, they think someone unrelated to the scene drove their car into a police cruiser. No officers were injured but the driver sped away.
San Leandro police and the California Highway Patrol chased that driver on the freeway at speeds of 80 miles per hour. Police added the chase then took them through the streets of Oakland.
The CHP was able to slow down that driver with the help of spike strips, flattening the passenger-side tires but the driver kept going. The chase slowed down to about 20 miles per hour.
CHP officers then deployed the spike sticks at least two more times, flattening the driver’s side tires and slowing him down to 5 miles per hour.
The driver finally stopped the car about an hour and a half in Oakland after leading the chase to Berkeley, Emeryville and back to Oakland.
Delaware State Police arrested 22-year-old Thomas Casey of West Chester, Pennsylvania, yesterday afternoon following a pursuit that spanned multiple jurisdictions.
On February 14, 2025, at approximately 12:45 p.m., troopers were notified that the New Castle County Police Department was pursuing a black BMW with a Pennsylvania registration traveling southbound over the Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge after the vehicle was observed traveling on a bare rim. Troopers joined the chase as the BMW continued south on State Route 1 (SR1), entering Middletown and Townsend. It failed to stop despite police commands.
As the pursuit continued, vehicle parts flew off the BMW, posing a hazard to motorists. At one point, a metal object hit the hood of a marked DSP vehicle, tearing the middle of the hood. Moments later, the BMW’s metal brake caliper detached and crashed into the windshield of another DSP vehicle, narrowly missing the trooper inside.
Approaching Dover, the suspect’s speed increased significantly, further endangering the public. A trooper deployed stop sticks on SR1 near Frederica to bring the pursuit to a safe conclusion. The BMW hit the stop sticks but then swerved toward the trooper standing on the right shoulder. The trooper was able to avoid being hit by running toward a concrete barrier.
Further south, near Bowers Beach Road, another trooper attempted to deploy stop sticks, but once again, the BMW swerved toward him, forcing him to run toward a concrete barrier to avoid being hit.
Chesterton police arrested two Illinois suspects on Monday after a high-speed pursuit, finding one in a trash can.
The pursuit began at 10:25 a.m. after an officer learned LaPorte County Police were chasing a Nissan linked to a CPD fraud case on U.S. 30. An officer intercepted the Nissan as it fled onto the Toll Road.
The pursuit continued on I-80/90 westbound, reaching speeds of 107 miles per hour. Near the Portage Toll Road plaza, police advised the officer that the Indiana State Police were deploying stop sticks. The Nissan struck the sticks immediately after exiting the booth, bringing the dangerous chase to an end.
A Police chase from Youngstown’s South Side, through Downtown, and the East Side ended back on the South Side with the arrest of a man on drug, weapons, and other charges.
Officers say Benjamin Vazquez was driving a Ford Escape that ran a red light on South Avenue near Interstate 680, Wednesday afternoon. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle fled, disobeying several traffic signals, according to police.
During the pursuit, police deployed spiked stop sticks on Lansdowne Boulevard near Woodcrest Avenue, which deflated two passenger-side tires. Despite the tire damage, the vehicle continued to flee, driving through the Big Apple store parking lot on McGuffey Road.
Blocked by a tractor trailer, the Escape cut through a field to the Himrod Avenue Expressway.
The SUV didn’t stop until the right rear tire fell off the rim near Williamson Avenue.
A search of the vehicle turned up crack cocaine hidden under the driver’s seat and a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun under the back seat, according to the report. Neither Vazquez nor his passenger claimed ownership of the firearm.
A Calico Rock man faces multiple charges after allegedly fleeing from authorities in a stolen vehicle. Specifically, thirty-nine-year-old Lewie Branscum is charged with theft, reckless driving, expired driver’s license, disregarding a stop sign, along with a habitual offender status.
According to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of a stolen truck and trailer on Push Mountain Road on February 10. Later that day, officers spotted the truck on Bosswell Road in Izard County, with Branscum behind the wheel. The truck was later seen again in Calico Rock, but without the trailer. Subsequently, the U.S. Forestry Service found the trailer abandoned in Baxter County.
Meanwhile, the Mountain Home Police Department received a complaint about a man asking for fuel at a local residence. Officers found the stolen vehicle, but when they attempted a traffic stop, Branscum fled.
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Two defendants are in custody after allegedly leading law enforcement on a 30-mile chase down Gallatin Canyon on Tuesday, an incident that prompted a 14-car response and only ended after a spike strip was deployed.
Subsequently, Ian Ashley Blaylock, 47, and Christina Eileen Blaylock, 39, appeared Wednesday in Justice Court, where bail was set and both were charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs.
In addition, Ian Blaylock was also charged with felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor fleeing from or eluding a peace officer. According to the probable cause affidavit, due to outstanding warrants, law enforcement attempted to confront the Blaylocks in the parking lot of the Casey’s Corner gas station in Four Corners. Ian Blaylock then allegedly “accelerated so quickly he spun his tires.”
Law enforcement said the chase on U.S. Highway 191 through Gallatin Canyon and toward Big Sky ensued, at times exceeding the speed limit by about $35 \text{ mph}$. Ultimately, the green Dodge Ram stopped using a spike strip near the Moose Creek Campground.
Jackson Chaput, a manager at Gallatin River Guides, posted a video of the vehicle hitting the spike strip on social media.
The video shows 14 police cars responding to the incident.
