2 Adults, 1 Juvenile In Custody After High Speed Chase Ends Near Catoosa School Zone

A state trooper saved the day Friday, ending a high speed chase about a half mile from a Catoosa school zone.

This all went down just as school was letting out, so the traffic was heavy.

The trooper said, just before he ended the pursuit, he noticed school buses packed with kids passing at an intersection no more than a hundred yards away.

"If this thing was not done perfectly, the outcome wouldn't have been the same, so, made it look very easy, what was an extremely difficult maneuver to do," said Lt. George Brown.

It all started when a red car wouldn't stop for trooper Leonard McMillan.

He said the driver was speeding, but when the trooper flipped on his lights and sirens, the driver didn't stop, leading McMillan on a dangerous pursuit down city streets.

"At one point, we were at about 140," McMillan said. "At that speed, there's very little reaction that anybody could have for that."

What McMillan saw ahead was troubling.

"Very obvious that there were school kids in the area, being from the area, I know where the school zones are and we were coming up to that area," he said.

The trooper has 15 years of experience under his belt.

When he saw those buses pass, he knew he had to make a decision and make it fast.

He sped up beside the suspect's car and knocked into the back side, causing it to spin to a stop.

"What he won't tell you, actually, is that he is a hero. Again, these troopers make spilt-second life or death decisions," Brown said. "And again, saved the lives of no telling how many students in the school buses ahead."

But McMillan is humble and said to save the word "hero" for someone else. He said he was just doing what he's been trained to do.

"I wanted to do this job for a reason and come back to my hometown, be part of the community and protect the public, and to me that's very important to me, and I don't think anything beyond that," McMillan said.

Two adults and one juvenile girl were taken in to custody.

The driver, Christopher Locke, 33, was booked into Rogers County jail on complaints of eluding police officers, reckless driving, speeding, failure to wear a seat belt, and improperly crossing a center dividing section.

Brown said Locke was driving on a suspended license and had an outstanding warrant for traffic violations.

The other adult passenger, Colton Marsh, 19, was booked on complaints of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of paraphernalia. Authorities said Marsh was found with marijuana on him.

OHP said the juvenile was found with meth on her.

No one was injured in the chase.