Beckham County, OK – A reckless driving incident on Interstate 40 ended with an arrest after a brief pursuit and canine deployment Tuesday in Beckham County, according to Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning.
The incident began near the Oklahoma state line when multiple callers reported a driver weaving between lanes and backing up traffic for a significant distance. Deputies were initially east of Sayre and requested assistance from point of entry officers, who are authorized to help with law enforcement matters when specifically called.
Point of entry officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused to pull over. Beckham County deputies soon joined the pursuit near the 15 mile marker between Sayre and Erick.
Despite emergency lights and sirens, the driver continued eastbound. Deputies prepared stop sticks near the 23 mile marker, but before reaching that point, the vehicle exited near mile marker 20 and came to a stop.
After stopping, the driver refused to exit the vehicle, leading to a brief standoff. A sheriff’s office canine was deployed at the scene. The dog did not make physical contact with the suspect, but shortly afterward the driver exited the vehicle and was taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect was transported to jail. Sheriff Manning said deputies were still unsure what prompted the driver’s behavior.
“It wasn’t anything real dangerous,” Manning said. “Top speed was around 60 miles an hour. It was just somebody messing up the interstate and refusing to heed law enforcement with lights and sirens.”
No injuries were reported.
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