OHP Trooper Discusses Maneuver That Ended Tulsa Chase Safely

In an exclusive interview with News On 6, OHP Trooper Lt. Buddy Lambert described what it was like behind the wheel of his patrol vehicle.

Thursday, October 30th 2014, 7:00 pm

By: News On 6

OHP Trooper Discusses Maneuver That Ended Tulsa Chase Safely

And now that inside look at yesterday's half-hour police chase between highway patrol troopers and a fleeing suspect.

Troopers pursued Rendon Torres from Catoosa to near Sapulpa on Interstate 44, sometimes hitting speeds of 100 mph.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Buddy Lambert finally ended the chase without anyone getting hurt.

In an exclusive interview with News On 6, he described what it was like behind the wheel of his patrol vehicle.

Lambert has been an OHP trooper for 23 years and he has seen a lot, been in chases, been in shootings, but even he said Wednesday's chase was pretty hairy. Lambert claims it was a great team effort, and he's glad nobody got hurt, because the suspect was blowing through stop signs, texting, reaching under his seat and even snapping pictures with his phone of Buddy behind him, all at speeds of 100 miles per hour.

By the time Osage SkyNews 6 HD joined the pursuit, it had already been a pretty crazy ride.

10/29/2014 Related Story: OHP Finds 20 Pounds Of Marijuana In SUV After Chase Across Tulsa

Lambert said he saw the driver passing on the shoulder on I-44 near Catoosa, so he tried to pull him over. The driver didn't stop; he just took off.

"He's calling the shots, and we'rereactingg to what decisions he makes,” Lambert said. “He was given every opportunity to pull over to the side of the road to begin with."

The pursuit went through Catoosa and Lambert tried to spin the car off the road using a maneuver called a TVI, or tactical vehicle intervention. But Rendon Torres wasn't having any of that, Lambert said, so he just rammed right into the patrol vehicle.

"The TVI is not two units broadside together like that, you don't accomplish much, all you're doing is rubbing like NASCAR,” Lambert said. “A TVI is a front corner to rear corner, you give acceleration and the car just spins."

Usually, it's done with little damage to the patrol car and no injury to the suspect, but in this case, the suspect rammed Lambert and kept going.

OHP's goal was to keep Torres on the Interstate, find an area without a lot of traffic and do the TVI, but Torres started taking exits.

"I would back off as he approached intersections and give him the opportunity to slow down and let him clear traffic,” Lambert said. “A couple of times he did. And a couple of times he didn't, and we had some near misses there."

Finally, another trooper and a deputy got stop sticks on the ground and it blew Torres' two left side tires. Lambert said he knew the area was perfect to finally end the chase.

"He floored it again,” Lambert said. “I missed the first time. The second time, I made contact, ripped his rear bumper off and drove over the top of it and the last time, I finally got him."

The car slowed down, spun and hit a cement median. That's when troopers found around 20 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle.

Torres was booked for running from police, drugs and assault with a deadly weapon.

Lambert credits a lot of other people with helping coordinate the pursuit. He said said he wasn't sore from all the ramming of the cars, but from when he went airborne for a second on that last exit and came down pretty hard.

He acts like it's all in a day's work.