Tulsa Police: Pursuit Ends In Capture Of Car Thief

Tulsa Police have a man in custody after a pursuit Tuesday morning.

A trooper forced the driver to stop in a church parking lot in the 1200 block of North Sheridan shortly after 7 a.m.

Officers tell News On 6 Clark Raymond Gatwood II stole a truck that was left running outside the QuikTrip at 23rd and Southwest Boulevard. They were able to track the truck using its GPS, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Dwight Durant. 

Authorities say they tried to pull the truck over, and Gatwood first started to stop, then led them on a high speed chase. Sergeant J.D. Hart said Gatwood was running stop signs and endangering other drivers, so police backed off.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers spotted the truck 11th and Sheridan and executed a tactical maneuver to get the man to stop, he said. The pursuit lasted three or four minutes, according to Hart.

Authorities say Gatwood refused to get out of the truck, and they had to break the window and Tase him. EMSA paramedics were called to the scene to check for injuries.

Gatwood could be seen in handcuffs, sitting outside a white pickup and the patrol vehicles following the chase. He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of eluding police, possession of a stolen vehicle (after former felony conviction) and driving with a suspended or revoked license.

A search of Oklahoma Department of Corrections records shows Gatwood was released from prison in  November 2015. He has a lengthy history of convictions - including four for eluding police. He has also served time for car theft, burglary and assault.

Hart said anytime you leave a car running and unattended, you are leaving yourself open for a crime of opportunity.