Video: Repeat offender drinks vodka throughout pursuit with Wash. deputies
After unsuccessful PIT maneuver and Grappler stop attempts, the suspect was stopped with a second PIT; when he exited the car, he took a drink from a vodka bottle
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THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — The Thurston County Sheriff’s office released dash camera video showing a pursuit of a man who paused to drink vodka upon being stopped, KIRO reported.
The Jan. 25 incident began when deputies were alerted to a stolen vehicle, according to the report. A traffic unit deputy spotted the vehicle running a red light and initiated a traffic stop, but after briefly opening the door, the suspect shut it and sped off.
The suspect led deputies southbound on a highway, reaching speeds over 100 mph before exiting the roadway and continuing to flee.
Video shows deputies attempting a PIT maneuver, but the suspect recovered and continued to flee. A second attempt using a Grappler device to disable the vehicle failed due to damage. Finally, a second PIT maneuver pinned the SUV, bringing the pursuit to an end.
The suspect exited the vehicle holding a bottle of vodka, which he drank from while ignoring deputies’ commands, video shows. After deputies issued further warnings, the suspect threw the bottle across the road and complied by lying on the ground. He was arrested without further incident.
Deputies learned the suspect had been drinking vodka throughout the pursuit, according to a passenger in the vehicle. The man was booked into Thurston County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, attempting to elude police and driving with a suspended license. He also received citations for running a red light, public intoxication and littering, according to the report.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders addressed the incident in a Facebook post, expressing frustration with repeat offenders.
“If the state has any interest in curbing high speed chases, abysmal auto theft rates and record high traffic fatalities, we may want to consider moving away from our current practice that enables these individuals to continuously reoffend until they eventually kill someone,” Sanders said. “Unfortunately, most of the conversations occurring in the legislature right now are centered around lowering sentencing penalties and encouraging criminals to engage in dangerous behavior that put us all at risk of serious bodily harm and death.”
This incident marks the second time deputies have pursued the same suspect, who had recently been released from prison for a similar offense, according to the report.
Man Drunk-Driving Hits Police Car and Gets Away with It
Home » Blog » Man Drunk-Driving Hits Police Car and Gets Away with It
In a story almost too crazy to be true, a man in Queens, New York collided with a police car this week while drunk driving and got away with it. According to The New York Post, Langford Banda lost control of his vehicle just after midnight on February 9 and hit a parked NYPD van, injuring two officers. Allegedly, Mr. Banda’s blood-alcohol levelwas at twice the legal limit, his eyes were bloodshot, he smelled of alcohol, and he even had difficulty getting out of his 2006 BMW in order to take the breathalyzer. Mr. Banda was never charged with any crime. Instead, he was taken to the station, allowed to sober up, and was then permitted to head home.
How to Get Away with a DWI
It turns out that Mr. Banda has what many people refer to as a “Get Out of Jail Free Card.” He’s a Zambian government official and therefore, receives diplomatic immunity. Although guidelines are non-specific, they do state that foreign diplomats should be cited for traffic violations and that criminal investigations should be fully carried out. However, diplomats are extended a wide range of courtesies in an effort to maintain positive relationships with other countries. According to Foreign Policy Magazine, diplomats can get away with almost any crime. New York has unsuccessfully tried to collect millions of dollars in unpaid parking violations from them. Historically, there have been other cases of DWI, assault, murder, and theft, which have all been swept under the rug.
How to Get Away with a DWI in Raleigh
Unless you’re a foreign diplomat, drunk driving in Raleigh is a serious offense. In fact, it can still be serious for a diplomat if law enforcement chooses to pursue it. No matter which level of DWI penalties you face, your license is immediately stripped for 30 days. If convicted, you can lose your license for as much as four years, be imprisoned for up to three years, and have a fine of up to 10,000 dollars. All things considered, a DWI can cost you your career and haunt you for the rest of your life. It can show up again years later when you apply for a job, try to rent an apartment, or impact sentencing if you receive additional charges. There are no guarantees that you can get away with it, regardless of the situation, and you shouldn’t believe anyone who makes that promise.
Raleigh Drunk Driving Attorney
If you’ve been arrested for DWI, you need straight facts from an experienced lawyer. A skilled and knowledgeable attorney may be able to have your charges reduced, and in some cases, even dropped, but every case is different and has numerous possible outcomes. At DeMent Askew, we have been providing our clients with honest feedback and rigorous representation for over 40 years. For a consultation, you may contact us online, or you can speak to one of our attorneys immediately by calling 919-551-3964.
Related posts:
- DWI Enforcement During Peak Holiday Travel Times
- Drunk Driving Accidents and Underage Drinking
- North Carolina DWI Laws
- How to Avoid a Drunk Driving Accident
Author Bio
J. RUSSELL W. DeMENT III
RALEIGH CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
Russell W. “Rusty” DeMent III is a trial lawyer and managing partner at DeMent Askew Johnson & Marshall. A former Wake County Assistant District Attorney, he brings decades of courtroom experience to defending serious criminal charges in both state and federal courts, including DWI, violent crimes, and drug offenses.
Regularly recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Business North Carolina’s Legal Elite, Rusty is a Fellow of the National College for DUI Defense and the Litigation Counsel of America. His legal insight and calm command in high-stakes cases make him a trusted advocate across North Carolina.
Watch: Seattle police arrest man who drank gasoline during attempted burglary
When officers asked the suspect to exit the homeowner’s vehicle, he began to drink gasoline out of a gas can
August 24, 2023 10:24 AM
By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
SEATTLE — Officers with the Seattle Police Department responded to a home for a burglary, but when they found the suspect, he started to chug gasoline, KOMO reports.
Police said the initial call stated someone with a wooden stick was trying to break into their home. When police arrived, the only person home was a teenager who was too afraid to answer the door. While officers were standing outside, they heard loud banging noises from inside the home.
Officers then breached the front door and began their search for the suspect and the 17-year-old victim.
It wasn’t long until officers found a man who was inside the homeowner’s vehicle in the garage. As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed the man had both a gas can and a hammer in his lap.
When officers asked the suspect to exit the vehicle, he began to drink gasoline out of the container he was holding.
Body camera video shows officers asking the man to exit the vehicle several times, but he refused and continued to drink more gasoline. Police eventually broke the driver’s side window and removed the suspect from the vehicle.
Once the man was in custody, officers found the teen on the second floor of the home and escorted her to safety. The 40-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail.
Florida Man Games competitors evade police, wrestle over beer
By The Associated Press and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press
Published: Feb. 25, 2024 at 3:44 PM GMT+7
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) – They rose up by the dozens from across Florida, caricatured competitors in tank tops and cutoff shorts, for a showdown that treats evading police and wrestling over beer like Olympic sports.
Promoted as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth,” the Florida Man Games poke fun at the state’s reputation for bizarre stories that involve brawling, drinking, gunfire, reptile wrangling and other antics carrying a risk of time in jail or intensive care.
The games kicked off Saturday with the “Star Spangled Banner” played on electric guitar. Then spectators sipping canned beers behind metal barricades cheered and frequently shouted expletives as a dozen teams battled in contests inspired by real events from America’s most surreal state.
James Gordon of DeLand won the first event, wolfing down a plate loaded with barbecue pork and sausage a fraction of a second before his nearest competitor. He chugged a beer to celebrate.
“I’ve lived in Florida my whole life,” Gordon said after washing sauce from his hands and beard. “They’re calling these ‘events.’ I’m calling this (expletive) Tuesday afternoon.”
One event had contenders dueling in muddy water in an inflatable pool, pummeling each other with weapons made from pool noodles and duct tape. Another was a theft-simulation relay in which competitors raced while toting a pair of bicycles, copper pipes and catalytic converters.
Larry Donnelly trained for the relay race by riding a bicycle around his neighborhood with a second bike strapped to his back. It paid off Saturday, when he won his heat after picking up a bike in each hand and running with them.
“I have an absolute disregard for self-preservation. I will do anything,” said Donnelly, 42, who owns a St. Augustine pressure-washing business and serves as captain of the five-man team Hanky Spanky. “When I was in the military, I did a little alligator wrestling.”
Other events involved contenders wrestling sumo-style while holding pitchers of beer, or running from actual sheriff’s deputies while jumping fences and avoiding obstacles. Others faced a scramble to grab cash flying in simulated hurricane winds.
Spectators paid real money — $45 per ticket or more — to watch the games at Francis Field in downtown St. Augustine. Yusuf El Shihibi said he and his wife made the 180-mile (290-kilometer) trip from Port St. Richey “to watch stupidity occur on the grandest, most spectacular scale.”
Organizer Pete Melfi said he expected ticket sales to exceed 5,000. He said he was stunned to find nobody else had beaten him to the ripped-from-headlines idea for a spoof sporting event.
“We kind of give a person an opportunity to live a day in the life of ‘Florida Man’ without ending up in a cop car,” said Melfi, who runs the St. Augustine media outlet The 904 Now. But he had to tone down some racier aspects of the “Florida Man” mythos to obtain a permit.
“There’s typically drugs and nudity,” he said. “But the city frowned on it when I asked for drugs and nudity.”
The “Florida Man” phenomenon seeped into the nation’s conscience thanks in part to a Twitter account that started in 2013 with the handle @_FloridaMan. The account touted “real-life stories of the world’s worst superhero,” sharing news headlines such as “Florida Man Bites Dog to ‘Establish Dominance’” and “Florida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald’s With Weed.”
Florida’s claim to being the strangest state goes back much further, said journalist Craig Pittman, who wrote the book “Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country.” He noted that the first flag to fly over its Capitol in 1845 bore the motto “Let Us Alone.”
Apparently nobody listened. Florida today has 22 million residents, the third largest population of any U.S. state. And they all share roads, beaches and timeshares with more than 130 million tourists per year.
“You cram that many people together, they’re bound to start running into each others’ cars and chasing each other with machetes,” Pittman said.
Pittman noted there have also been plenty of crazy stories featuring Florida women — and plenty of them turned out to watch the games Saturday.
Sally Yarbrough and her daughter, Danielle Yarbrough, got tickets as a Christmas gift from their boss — along with a case of vodka.
“Hopefully more women will be here like us,” Danielle Yarbrough said. “We’re usually the only rowdy ones.”
The only women’s event Saturday was a Florida Ma’am Pinup contest. That should change if the games continue, said Lori “Ice” Fetrick, a former competitor on the 1990s show “American Gladiators” who served as a judge at the Florida Man Games.
“I personally believe we need the Florida Woman Games,” Fetrick told the crowd, which cheered its approval. “Or maybe put women against the men.”
Leading up to Saturday, Joshua Barr and his Cooter Commandos teammates spent time whipping up fan support on Facebook with posts showing the trio chugging Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and jogging in jean shorts and mirrored sunglasses. Their team name comes from a turtle species celebrated by their hometown of Inverness.
The Commandos didn’t stop with online promotion and trash-talking of rival teams. Barr, a 37-year-old movie reviewer and podcaster, said they also printed T-shirts, temporary tattoos and a large custom flag to wave on the field.
“We might be taking it more seriously than most people,” Barr said. “You kind of just have to be a part of the joke at this point.”
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
