Stolen Car Runs Out Of Gas During Chase, Deputy Involved In Crash

Police say a Claremore man led them on a high-speed chase through Rogers County Friday morning only to run out of gas on Interstate 44 near Catoosa. That's where officers were able to arrest William Pierce - and learned he is a wanted criminal in another state.

It all started when employees at a local business noticed a suspicious car in their parking lot and called police. That led to a chase, a crash and an arrest.

Police say 48-year-old William Pierce was parked outside of a Long John Silver's in Claremore, watching - and it made workers uneasy.

"Guy was sitting in the parking lot, making them nervous, so they called police to get it checked out," said Lieutenant Matt Wild, Claremore Police.

An officer ran the plate on Pierce's red Chevy HHR and found out the car was stolen. But as soon as the officer approached, Pierce took off, leading police on a high-speed chase, running stop signs and speeding through school zones.

"Ultimately, it's the last thing we really want to do, is chase somebody. But you know, sometimes bad people run from police and we need to place them in custody and so it's a necessary evil," Wild said.

Claremore called the Rogers County Sheriff's Office for help. During the chase, police say a driver who was watching the chase and not paying attention to traffic, crashed into a sheriff's deputy. 

"It's always a bad deal when we're trying to affect the arrest of a felony suspect, and then we have something like this happen," said Major Coy Jenkins, Rogers County Sheriff's Office.

Officers chased Pierce about 15 miles before he ran out of gas on I-44 and 161st, and they arrested him. In his car, they found the following: .40 caliber ammunition, a roll of duct tape, a bandana, an Airsoft gun painted to look real and several knives.

They also found out Pierce is wanted in Oregon and served time for a felony charge in Nevada.

Because Pierce is a felon, police say it's illegal for him to have that Airsoft gun. They also arrested him for eluding police and endangering others, knowingly concealing stolen property and driving with a suspended license.

The deputy and the other driver involved in the crash were not injured. It's still not clear if that driver will face any fines or tickets. OHP is investigating the crash.