A U-Haul truck was an unusual choice for a getaway vehicle in Paulding County, Georgia. Deputies had responded to a call about people inside an abandoned gas station when one of them climbed into the rental truck and drove away.
The driver ignored orders to get out, setting off a short chase that took deputies through traffic and briefly off the road. A deputy eventually used a PIT maneuver to stop the truck.
Four people were arrested in connection with the November incident on Dallas Acworth Highway. The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office later released dashcam and bodycam footage showing how the encounter unfolded.
Deputies also found a five-gallon bucket filled with copper wire inside the U-Haul. The discovery raised questions about what the group had been doing at the vacant property, although the wire has not been tied to a theft.
Making A Run
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The call came from an old gas station along Dallas Acworth Highway. When deputies arrived, they found several people inside the building and a broken glass window. Getting the group to cooperate proved difficult.
Deputy James Turner told FOX 5 Atlanta that the people inside refused orders to come out. One woman eventually left through the front of the building, but instead of staying with deputies, she headed for the U-Haul parked outside.
A deputy followed her to the truck and repeatedly ordered her to get out. Bodycam footage captures him shouting at the woman before the sound of breaking glass is heard. She can then be heard agreeing to get out, but the encounter did not end there.
The U-Haul pulled away, and deputies gave chase. As the truck moved through traffic, its driver steered around cones and other vehicles. At one point, the U-Haul left the roadway before returning to the road.
Rather than allow the chase to continue, a deputy moved his patrol vehicle into position and struck the truck using a PIT maneuver. The move brought the U-Haul to a stop, ending the pursuit.
Four In Custody
Deputies identified the driver as Bobbie Eveans, who they said fled from the truck after it stopped. She was arrested following the pursuit.
A search of the U-Haul turned up the bucket of copper wire. However, the sheriff’s office did not establish where the material came from. Its presence in the truck was not enough to show that it had been removed from the gas station.
Three other people were also arrested in connection with the original call. Steven Haynes, Phillip Evans, and Dana Garrett were charged with loitering.
Despite the broken window and the group’s presence inside the vacant building, the property owner chose not to pursue trespassing charges, according to FOX 5. The gas station was demolished shortly after the encounter.
Why The PIT?
Using a patrol vehicle to force another vehicle to stop carries risks, especially when a pursuit moves through traffic. Turner explained that deputies weigh several factors before deciding to use the maneuver.
“Traffic conditions, weather conditions, all of that comes into play,” he told FOX 5.
Turner said protecting the public is the priority when deputies make those decisions. In this case, the chase ended after the U-Haul had already driven around traffic obstacles and left the pavement.
The arrests also led to different outcomes at the county jail. By Friday afternoon, November 13, Eveans remained in custody, according to jail records cited by FOX 5. Haynes, Evans, and Garrett had each posted bond and been released.