The Associated Press
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - A handcuffed suspect stole a police car and used its radio to talk to officers as he led them on a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph, authorities said.
The Wednesday chase ended when the man crashed the car as he swerved to avoid a strip of tire spikes laid down by Camden County sheriff’s deputies near Woodbine, said Capt. Jack Hopper of the Glynn County Police Department.
Shannon M. Tanner, 31, of Woodbine was arrested on charges including theft of a motor vehicle and forgery, Hopper said.
The incident began around noon when a Glynn County police officer arrested Tanner for passing bad checks in Brunswick. The officer handcuffed Tanner’s hands behind his back and put him in the back of the police car. The officer then went to interview the person who reported the forgery, Hopper said.
“Tanner was able to move his handcuffed hands from behind his back to the front of his body. He jimmied the sliding glass partition separating the front and back seats and climbed through the partition into the front seat of the car,” Hopper said.
The car had been left running, a normal practice so the air conditioner would function, he said.
“Tanner then drove away with the car,” Hopper said.
The suspect sped onto Interstate 95, heading south as Georgia State Patrol troopers and Glynn County police gave chase, Hopper said.
During the chase, which went into Camden County, Tanner used profanity to insult authorities but also tried to negotiate with them, authorities said. He even asked officers if he should turn on the police car’s flashing lights to warn other drivers to get out of the way.
Hopper said he repeatedly urged Tanner to slow down and pull over so officers could arrange a requested meeting with his relatives.
“I was surprised to hear him on the radio. He was the one who initiated contact with us,” Hopper said. “I was serious. I would have let him see his momma. But it would have been at headquarters after he was in custody.”
But the chase ended when the police car crashed. Tanner was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and then brought to the Glynn County Detention Center, Hopper said. No other injuries were reported in the chase and the Glynn County police car was the only vehicle damaged, officials said.
Tanner has a criminal record dating back to 1992 and includes convictions for robbery, possession of cocaine, first-degree forgery, burglary, theft by taking and theft by receiving stolen property, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.