By Joanna Putman
Police1
MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Michigan State Police have released body camera and dash cam footage of an incident involving a woman who allegedly bit a state trooper, escaped from handcuffs and stole a patrol vehicle, WZZM reported.
The incident began when Michigan State Police responded to a domestic call on Aug. 3, according to the report.
Footage shows a woman sitting on a road as the trooper approached. The trooper spoke to the woman for several minutes, during which time the woman admitted to assaulting someone. The redacted video removes the context of the assault. The trooper then began working to take the woman into custody.
When the trooper informed the woman that she could not bring her purse to jail, she became agitated, leading to a struggle during which she allegedly threatened to sue the trooper. The trooper attempted to handcuff the woman, but she bit the officer during the encounter.
Additional troopers arrived, handcuffed the woman, and placed her in a patrol vehicle. However, she managed to slip out of the handcuffs, move to the driver’s seat and flee in the vehicle. The video concludes by showing her leading troopers on a high-speed pursuit.
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The woman eventually crashed the cruiser into a swamp, where she was arrested, according to the report. She was charged with several felonies, including assaulting a police officer, unlawful driving away, fleeing a police officer and malicious destruction of police.
The Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office emphasized the seriousness of the charges, citing the danger posed to both officers and the public during the incident.
“Our concern is for officer safety first, but she upped the ante by leading the police on a high-speed chase, which endangers everyone,” said Timothy Maat, Chief Assistant at the prosecutor’s office.