Tulsa Police arrest man who shot at officers during chase before crashing stolen car through wall

TULSA, Okla. — There was a large Tulsa Police presence on the scene of a stolen car that crashed through a brick wall in Sperry following a chase involving a suspect who exchanged gunfire with police in Tulsa.

Just before 11 p.m., officers responded to a flock hit in the area of Admiral and Sheridan. Officers located the car on East Admiral just east of Yale going westbound.

Officers tried to pull the suspect over. The man ignored police and drove at high speeds on North Peoria, which stopped police from pursuing him due to the dangerous speeds.

The man then passed another officer near MLK Jr. Boulevard and fired shots at officers and police began another chase.

“Because of the speed, and I think he was turning off headlights, that just creates a pretty dangerous situation for the public. Then when another officer saw him after we had terminated a mile or so away, he started taking shots at officers and that’s when we re-engaged the pursuit,” Tulsa Police Capt. Matt Arnold said.

The chase then went into Sperry where the suspect crashed into a brick wall near North Cincinnati Avenue and East Main Street.

“It was a vacant shell of a building so there was no front of the building. The gate he went through what used to be the building. There’s no ceiling and then there was a rear wall that he crashed through,” Arnold said.

Police said the suspect ran out of the crashed car and hid under a truck.

Police had a helicopter on the scene and shortly after a K-9 unit found the suspect and he was taken into custody.

Police found a gun and shell casings inside the car.

Police said no officers were injured during the chase, but the suspect had a few minor injuries due to the crash.

“We just have some officers that are really shaken up, but everybody’s OK. No cars hit, no officers hit,” Arnold said.

Tulsa Police were assisted by the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Sperry Police, and Osage County Sheriff’s Office during the chase.

“Anytime we have someone taking shots at officers, we have to consider that if he’s willing to shoot at officers, he’s willing to shoot at the public. That creates a continuing threat for the community and we have to address that threat. The way we do that the safest way possible is to do that with a large amount of officers. With numbers we can do things much safer,” Arnold said.