Chase ends with Tasing
BUTLER TWP — A police chase through Lyndora ended only when the suspect’s vehicle hit a ditch and became disabled.
Even then, the driver, who already was wanted on a warrant, ran until he fell in a creek and got hit with a police Taser — twice.
Shawn C. Ferrer, 40, of 125 Oakridge Drive is now in the Butler County Prison facing a felony count of attempting to elude a police officer and more than a dozen traffic violations.
According to a criminal complaint, the incident began around 6:35 p.m. Friday evening when Ferrer, driving a 2013 Hyundai Elantra, drove past Butler Township Patrolman Max Wittlinger.
The police officer, according to court records, followed the Elantra, noting that Farrier, the registered owner, had a license suspended from a previous drunken driving conviction and an active warrant for his arrest.
At Fairground Hill Road, the officer activated his emergency lights and siren, according to court records.
The Elantra took off, driving at points in the middle of the road, on the wrong side of the road, through stop signs, sometimes at high speeds and potentially endangering at least one other motorist, court records state.
The chase lasted only minutes — less than two miles — and ended at East Boundary Street when the police officer apparently lost sight of the vehicle.
When the police car caught up to the car, it was attempting to pull out of a ditch with “white smoke coming from the right wheel area. The vehicle drove for another short period then stopped.”
According to court records, the driver and a passenger jumped out of the car. The officer drew his gun and yelled for the suspects to stop.
The passenger ran in one direction, and no other information is available about that person.
The officer followed the alleged driver who ran through a yard into some woods. Both men reportedly fell a number of times while traversing a hillside. Then, according to court records, the officer “caught up with Farrier after he had fallen again in a creek.” Still, court records indicate, the suspect tried to continue running but the officer deployed his Taser. Court records indicate when the Taser’s 5-second cycle ended the suspect again tried to flee and the officer activated the device a second time.
Ferrer initially was arrested on the outstanding warrant. But later, he was arraigned by District Judge Kevin O’Donnell on the additional charges.
His bail in the new case is set at $30,000 and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 6.
