GPS Tracker Leads To Tulsa Arrests

Tulsa police arrested two men suspected of stealing a company van in Rogers County Wednesday afternoon.  The company, LDF Distributors, helped authorities track the missing van using GPS, police said.

Police say they almost had the van surrounded near the Walmart and Admiral and Memorial when the driver took off.

Chris Heflin works nearby and witnessed what happened next.

“I was walking out to my truck,” said Heflin.  “As soon as I heard the sirens, I turned around to look.”

He saw the white van speeding by with police in pursuit.

“He went right through the street there and bam!” exclaimed Heflin.

The van hit an SUV near Admiral and South 85th East Avenue and kept going into a fence.

Police say the chase lasted just over a minute.

“You see why it’s so dangerous now because people trying to get away from us aren’t paying any attention to what’s going on around them,” said Captain Walter Busby.

According to police, there were two men in the stolen van.

“One guy got out and laid down.  The other guy took off,” said Heflin.

Officers say they quickly tracked the driver down.  They say he had run north into a field on the north side of Interstate 244 between Memorial and Highway 11, where he was captured and taken back to the scene.

An ambulance was called, but police say no one had serious injuries.

The stolen van and the SUV it hit were both damaged.

Police say GPS led them right to the van and, if the driver had simply stopped, he could have avoided the much more serious charges he’ll now face.