Slowing down when police activate their lights and sirens is usually a promising start to a traffic stop, but what Tulsa Police say happened next quickly changed that. Officers say 54-year-old Daelon Jacobs stuck his middle finger through the sunroof of his Dodge Charger before speeding away from an attempted traffic stop.
An officer first spotted the silver Charger traveling 100 mph in a 65-mph zone on Highway 169 near Pine at around 9 a.m. The officer got behind the vehicle and activated his emergency lights and siren, prompting Jacobs to initially slow down, according to police.
Rather than stopping, police say Jacobs made the gesture through his sunroof and accelerated away again. Another officer subsequently pulled up behind the Charger and was greeted with the same gesture before police terminated the pursuit due to concerns for other drivers.
Jacobs had driven away, but his license plate gave officers another way to find him without continuing the chase. Police identified Jacobs using the vehicle’s tag information before Tulsa’s Real Time Information Center used Automatic License Plate Readers to locate him near 21st and Garnett.
License Plate Readers Give Police Another Chance
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Jacobs pulled over when officers encountered him the second time, but police say getting him out of the Charger became another matter. He refused commands to exit and spent several minutes going back and forth with officers before pulling away as they attempted to take him into custody.
Police eventually arrested Jacobs, who officers say explained why he believed they couldn’t do so. According to the department, Jacobs claimed his tribal status meant Tulsa officers lacked jurisdiction over him and that he was immune from arrest.
Tulsa Police characterized that belief as a misconception and suggested it had contributed to Jacobs’ decision to flee from the original traffic stop. The department did not provide additional details concerning Jacobs’ tribal status or identify the tribe with which he claimed affiliation.
Officers Finish Jacobs’ Hospice Medication Route
The arrest came with an unusual logistical problem after officers learned what Jacobs had been doing before the traffic stop. Police say he was contracted to deliver medication to hospice patients and still had deliveries remaining on his route.
Rather than leave those medications sitting in the Charger, officers took over the remaining route themselves. Tulsa Police say officers made sure the medications reached the appropriate patients following Jacobs’ arrest.
Jacobs was subsequently booked into the Tulsa County Jail on charges of endangering others while eluding a police officer, obstruction, and resisting, according to the department. Those charges stem from the conduct described by police and do not constitute convictions.
Tulsa Jail Hub Shows No Additional Arrest Information
A search of the City of Tulsa Jail Hub was also conducted for additional information concerning Jacobs’ arrest. We were unable to locate a matching record providing further booking, bond, or custody information at the time of writing.
That absence does not establish whether Jacobs remains in custody, has been released, or has received a bond. Tulsa Police specifically states that Jacobs was booked into the Tulsa County Jail, but no additional jail information was available through the city database we reviewed.
For now, the police account leaves Jacobs facing three charges after a traffic stop that began with an officer clocking a Charger at 100 mph and ended only after license plate readers helped officers find it again. His decision to give two officers the same one-finger response along the way may be the more memorable detail, but the criminal allegations against him remain pending.