Auto Theft Sting Leads To High Speed Pursuit, Two Arrests

A woman and man are in jail after they were caught in a sting, trying to sell stolen vehicles, and then led police on a high speed chase.

Police said the owners of a stolen truck had posted an ad on Craigslist with the information on the truck and got a tip that led them to a suspect. They contacted TPD, and detectives set up a fake meeting to buy the truck back Friday afternoon.

An officer spotted the truck near the Warehouse Market on the corner of 3rd and Lewis Avenue, where the sting was to take place, and turned on his lights and siren. Police said the driver of the stolen truck, Jarod Linthicum, saw the lights and sped off. Officers chased Linthicum as he blew through red lights, going north on Lewis.

Another truck, following Linthicum, began running officers off the road. Police said, Linthicum's girlfriend, Brandy Rudlang-Reed, was also driving a stolen truck, was trying to block the officers so Linthicum could get away

Linthicum attempted to get onto I-244 and crashed, and was then arrested. His girlfriend, however, led officers on a long pursuit, damaging other vehicles as she went.

Police said Rudlang-Reed reached speeds greater than 20 miles over the speed limit at times, and made no attempt to stop for red lights or even other cars. She caused a collision at 4900 East Admiral Place, driving, at that point, on two flat tires, after police threw down stop sticks to try to stop her.

The other driver involved in that crash, an 81-year-old man, was taken to the hospital to be treated for chest pains, police said.

Rudlang-Reed continued on through the TU campus, with students walking around, police said. She hit another vehicle at 600 South Delaware Avenue and just kept going. When she attempted to turn onto 14th Street, she crashed the arrest report says.

Before crashing into a tree, Rudlang-Reed smashed the Dodge dually into a street sign and Caleb Hall's SUV, spinning it about 90 degrees in his driveway.

All that was left of the two front tires was the rims.

"I noticed a bunch of smoke and a really loud noise coming down the street," said Tulsa resident Chris Brown. "That's what I heard, the rims cutting the ground."

All the commotion had Chris Brown concerned, so he walked to the corner, just as the woman driving the truck jumped out.

The woman ran toward Brown, and because he had no idea what had just happened, he thought she was looking for help.

"She was like shuffling and trying to hide," Brown said.

It was then that he realized, something wasn't right.

"She looked very crazy. Crazed," Brown said. "Just the way that she was acting, she didn't know which way to go, so she was kind of running one way, then turned to go the other way and kind of doubled back and ended up running and hiding behind a house."

A police helicopter was overhead as officers on the ground searched for their suspect.

"Luckily the cops were here, or otherwise I probably would have chased her down myself," Hall said.

In the end, Rudlang-Reed was found hiding in a residence and was apprehended by a K9 officer.

"She was located in a residence a couple houses north of us, where she physically resisted the dog and she was bit by the K9," said Sgt. Todd Taylor.

After she was questioned by auto theft detectives, Rudlang-Reed was transported to a hospital, where she was treated for the dog bites. She was then booked into Tulsa County jail, along with Linthicum.

Rudlang-Reed is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond, and Linthicum on $27,000 bond.