OK Law Enforcement Works Together To Catch Chase Suspect

Sapulpa Police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol worked hand-in-hand during a high-speed chase that involved a fatal crash.

The chase started in Sapulpa, so Sapulpa officers were the primary leads on the case until they voluntarily turned it over to OHP.

But just because they did that doesn't mean their job is finished.

Sapulpa officers followed chase suspect Jerry Newman through Sapulpa and into Tulsa. At one point, Newman sped down Interstate 44, exiting at Harvard and heading to 36th Street North.

5/24/2017 Related Story: Jerry Newman Now In Custody In Fatal Tulsa Pursuit

That’s where OHP got involved.

But Sapulpa units stayed on pursuit, even when the truck crashed through a fence and careened onto active runways at Tulsa International Airport.

"They continued into Tulsa, they continued onto the airport with the other units, they just became a secondary once OHP took over," said Lieutenant Troy Forman with Sapulpa Police.

It's standard for the original agency to be the lead on a chase.

"Now, if there's a situation where we lose sight and another agency picks them up, then they would take over the lead," Forman said.

OHP Trooper Dwight Durant said even with protocol for chases like this, it can be hard to follow.

“These pursuits, we recognize how dangerous they are and they're fluid and they change instantly, depending on the weather, going the wrong way, traffic, pedestrian conditions and things like that," he said.

That's exactly what happened Wednesday, when the suspect hopped a curb and sped down a busy Highway 75 in the wrong direction.

That's when all units decided to pull back and exit the highway.

"These pursuits are terrifying. They're terrifying to the troopers and the officers that are involved in them," said Durant. "All I can say is that these pursuits are fluid, they change. We recognize the dangers. We've seen the dangers."

Durant said the truck had already crashed by the time they could get back onto the highway, but, he said they made the best call they could in a difficult situation.