Stop sticks save the day in high-speed chase
Staff reporter
A speeding car was slowed down and eventually stopped in Marion County Sunday evening, thanks to Marion County Sheriff's Deputies and a set of stop sticks.
The chase began at 10:32 p.m., when El Dorado officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Alan Keith Coen, 26, of Wichita, for traffic violations. When the driver refused to stop, the pursuit began on the streets of El Dorado and ended on U.S.-77, just five miles south of Florence.
Undersheriff Randal Brazil and deputies Larry Starkey and Todd Simmons assisted with the pursuit and apprehension. Speeds of 80 to 90 mph were reached by officers while attempting to stop the speeding car.
Brazil and Starkey strategically set out two sets of stop sticks to slow down the speeding vehicle. The vehicle finally slowed down and stopped where the driver was arrested.
Coen was charged with failure to obey traffic signals, failure to give proper signals, and driving with an expired license. Other charges of fleeing or eluding law enforcement also will be added to the list.
Videos of the pursuit were made from the cars of Brazil and Starkey.
The vehicle was removed by an El Dorado wrecker by 11:20 p.m.
The stop sticks were purchased by the sheriff's department with grant funds.
Here's how they work.
Three sticks are in a bundle. The officer throws the bundle across the roadway. The bundle is attached to a reel with sufficient line for the officer to distance himself as much as necessary. When the pursued vehicle drives on the bundle containing the stop sticks, sharp, metal prongs are activated and puncture the tires.
"The goal isn't to blow out the tires instantly," Sheriff Lee Becker said, but the device allows measured decompression of the tires so the driver can maintain control of the vehicle.
In Sunday night's chase, the videos indicated all four of the vehicle's tires were punctured. The driver continued to drive until the tires were nearly destroyed.
Stop sticks only can be used one time. However, the sticks are replaced at no cost to the department as is the bag that contains the sticks.
"Even though we don't use these very often, we're very fortunate to have them," Becker said.
