At approximately 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning, January 15, 2022, a Graham County Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop after seeing a vehicle swerving off of the roadway. The deputy was on patrol in the area of 1st Avenue and Eagle Meadow Loop when he noticed the vehicle coming towards him near Church Street in Thatcher was swerving off of the roadway.
When the vehicle passed, the deputy turned around to follow and noticed more erratic driving behavior. The vehicle quickly accelerated to 60 MPH as it approached 8th Street. The deputy activated his lights and siren in an effort to get the vehicle to pull over but the vehicle continued to accelerate to approximately 95 MPH. The vehicle continued to Golf Course Road, running stop signs. The deputy chased the older model Dodge pickup as it traveled south of Daley Estates and finally came to a stop around the back side of a hill near the Blue Pond drop off.
Three male occupants of the truck attempted to get out. The Deputy held them at gun point, ordering them to put their hands in the air. Two of the young men on the passenger side obeyed but the male on the driver’s side was digging under his seat before finally complying with the deputies order. The juveniles were placed in handcuffs while authorities searched the vehicle for weapons. None were found.
When authorities asked the young men for ID, all three said they did not have one. Two of the young men were brothers and the truck belonged to their father. The father was contacted and came to the scene. He told authorities that his vehicle was gone without his knowledge. The brothers were released to his custody pending possible charges. The third juvenile was released to his mother pending possible charges. The young men said they had taken the vehicle to go to Speedway for a drink and a snack.
