Beckham County, OK – A traffic stop on Interstate 40 last week turned into what Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning described as an “odd pursuit” that ended without injuries.
According to Manning, the incident began when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle during a routine traffic stop. After initially pulling over, the driver took off again, refusing to yield to law enforcement.
“It was a kind of a low-speed pursuit,” Manning said. “It wasn’t quite as low as the minibike [pursuit we had earlier], but it was a lower speed pursuit running 60, 70 miles per hour on the interstate.”
The chase moved west through Washita County into Beckham County. Local law enforcement, including Elk City police officers, deputies, and troopers, positioned themselves along the interstate exits and prepared stop sticks. Manning said one trooper was eventually able to deploy the stop sticks successfully, bringing the pursuit to an end near the 36-mile marker.
Because of the close proximity to Merritt School, deputies alerted the district and advised the school resource officer to prepare for a precautionary “soft lockdown.” Manning noted that the lockdown plan was not needed, as the pursuit ended quickly.
Once the vehicle was stopped, authorities discovered the driver was a person reported missing from another state. Manning said the individual appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis and was taken into custody so they could receive proper care.
“Nothing extremely dangerous, just another kind of an odd pursuit,” Manning said. “You never know on pursuits what you’re going to find at the end of them.”
