Creek County Sheriff's Deputies Ambushed

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

SAPULPA, OK -- Creek County Sheriff's Office deputies went on a shooting call Thursday night and ended up being fired upon by a man hiding in the woods.

The man is behind bars after the deputies barely escaped with their lives.

Law enforcement officers are used to an element of danger.

But even veteran Creek County deputies say what they walked into at the end of the country road was totally out of the ordinary.

"Many times law enforcement officers pull up on scene and they're fired up, but this particular case is different," Capt. Mike O'Keefe said. 

Investigators responded to the home because the woman who lives there called 911, claiming her husband had threatened her with a gun.

"The suspect had parked his truck at the end of the drive," O'Keefe said. "It's a very long drive. Deputies had to exit their trucks and walk up the drive."

Creek County investigators say the suspect, Bob Hingey, opened fire on the deputies, forcing them to take cover behind trees. And then the shooting stopped.

They say Hingey started talking to them, telling them he was out of ammunition, and he started shooting again.

Deputies say 56-year-old Hingey was hiding in the woods, fully loaded with a high-powered rifle, shotgun and a couple of handguns.

They said there were so many weapons and rounds, it was hard to tell where the shots were coming from or even how many people were shooting at them.

"This could have been very tragic for our deputies, as well as the suspect and his family," O'Keefe said.

A 16-year veteran deputy was grazed in the neck by a shotgun pellet.

Deputies say Hingey kept firing until he emptied all of his weapons. They say he finally came out of the woods, but still wasn't following orders.

He had to be subdued with a taser before he could be taken into custody.

Sheriff's deputies say Hingey is on psychiatric medication.

"The way he went about this, the way he set up this ambush, the way he kept trying to lure our deputies, tell us that this man knew exactly what he was doing the whole time," O'Keefe said.

Hingey was booked into the Creek County jail, accused of a string of charges including shooting with intent to kill, resisting arrest and having a gun while intoxicated.