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Stopping chase suspect was good strategic plan
Published Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Lt. Kile Bergren
Three people were injured during a high-speed chase Sunday in Fergus Falls. But without the effective use of an apprehension device known a stop sticks, a serious situation could have turned tragic.
With suspect Jeffrey Anderson fleeing Grant County deputies and heading towards Fergus Falls at a high rate of speed, the laying down of stop-sticks on the outskirts of Fergus Falls were part of a startegic plan that helped protect city residents from a dangerous situation and helped lead to the apprehension of Anderson.
Stop sticks are connectable strips are each 3-feet-long with hollow metal spikes. When the spikes go into the tire, said Fergus Falls Police Lt. Kile Bergren. They act like a straw, allowing air to escape through the hollow center, causing the tires to deflate without causing a catastrophic blowout.
When and where to place them is something of a calculated guess, Bergren said.
“You never know what a suspect is going to do,” he said. “In this case, he could have turned off on several different roads. In this case, the key was to put the sticks in a pace that wasn’t heavily populated and stop it before it got to a more populated area.”
On Sunday, the stop sticks were placed on Highway 59 by the Pebble Lake Take 5.
“You have to take into account that during a chase, it’s happening so fast,” Bergren said. “It’s not like you can drive toward the chase and when you see it, put (the stop sticks) down. You can sometimes gauge by how fast they’re going.”
“ When you’re traveling at a high rate of speed, it’s challenging to make a right turn because you wouldn’t be able to maneuver the vehicle around a corner as well. So it’s a calculated guess. In this case, we had some time to get ready, because when we got the call from Grant County, he was about 10 minutes away,” he said.
The chase started about two miles south of the Grant/Otter Tail County line on Highway 59, with speeds varying from 35 to 100 mph. It ended on Pebble Lake Road. As Anderson’s vehicle approached the sticks, it slammed head-on into a State Patrol squad car and Anderson’s vehicle flipped over onto its roof.
“We believe (Anderson) intentionally ran into the State Patrol Vehicle,” Bergren said. “Nothing indicates he lost control or that it was an accident.”
The PIT (pursuit intervention tactic) method, where a squad car is used to knock a suspect’s vehicle off the road, is only used when others are in imminent danger, Bergren said.
State Trooper Vaughn Ebbighausen and a Fergus Falls police officer sustained minor injuries. Anderson, 48, of Elbow Lake, remains in critical condition at Innovis Hospital in Fargo.
Grant County and Otter Tail County sheriff’s departments, Fergus Falls Police and State Patrol are investigating the situation. Charges against Anderson have yet to be filed.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by Absurdis (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
after reading this article, it does not appear that the stop sticks had anything to do with stopping the chase suspects vehicle. It looks as if the troopers parked car stopped the chase when crashed into by the fleeing suspect.
Posted by prowler (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 1:14 p.m.
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Posted by PRFISHER (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cowboys? How about the outlaw?? Who is really at fault? If you think it is the cops there is truly something wrong with you....
This wouldn't have happened if the guy wouldn't have broke the law, wouldn't have tried to outrun the cops, and wouldn't have ran into the squad by trying to get around a for sure way of ending it peacefully.
yup your right it must be the cops fault....
Posted by justme (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You're defending the guy because he merely swerved to avoid the stop sticks?? Whatever happened to pulling over when you are supposed to? The only person who caused this chase was the person who refused to stop, and he is responsible for his own demise.
Posted by PRFISHER (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
exactly...
Posted by fergusfallsmom (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think I remember something about driving as a privilege.. not a right! I think too many forget that and loose respect for the road and other drivers. The law enforcement's job is to keep us safe and that is what they were trying to do.
Posted by lenny (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 2:45 p.m.
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Posted by Vampire (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 2:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If his tires still had air in them as the pictures show, I guess the stop sticks did not work or he did not drive over them.
Posted by citizenkane (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 3:16 p.m.
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Posted by CP3571 (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 3:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am going to look at this a different way. Weither law enforcement is deemed "Outlaws" or not, if anyone reading this story thinks twice next time about trying to outrun a police car then something good came out of this. The biggest deterant to prevent people from breaking the law is the consequences for your actions (Anyone who is raising kids knows this). If he had stopped, problem solved.
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I think the lights on the police cars on both sides of the road gave him some advance warning to stop. This guy wasn't going to stop until he hurt himself or someone.
Posted by citizenkane (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 6:52 p.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The only way we are going to know the truth in this case is if we personally attend the trial. Witness accounts differ depending which newspaper reports them. Some witness’s say the van driver attempted to avoid the stop stick and then struck the other car. If he did drive over the stop sticks why are his tries still inflated after the van is turned upright. Yet the “In forum” account infers that he did drive over the sticks by the injured officers statement “we thought he would try to avoid the sticks”. If all four lanes are covered with stop sticks and the road shoulders are blocked by police cars, the van driver had three options open to him. Stop before the stop sticks, drive over the stop sticks, or drive around the sticks into other cars on the shoulder. Reports in the FFDG are so vague and general in nature as to be useless for discerning the truth.
Either side should have no problem finding witnesses, as there were apparently scores of people around the accident scene judging by the last two days of comments by posters who are familiar with the facts before during and after the incident.
Posted by walleye29 (anonymous) on March 12, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The chase sounds failrly text book. Bad things happen when violators choose to start high speed chases. I'm glad no civialians got hurt other then the person they were trying to apprehend. If not for the actions of our local law enforcement this chase could have proceded into town and effected inocent people. It is too bad that a couple of officers were hurt and a taxpayer owned vehicle was destroyed. I hope the county attorney seeks compensation from the suspect for the car and medical expenses, otherwise we the taxpayers will be paying for the apparent illegal actions of the person they were after
Posted by The_Nick (anonymous) on March 13, 2008 at 9:25 a.m.
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Posted by lenny (anonymous) on March 13, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No I mean something else, think about it.
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