Car Theft Victim Recounts Events Leading To Deadly Shooting With Officers, Teenagers

The owner of the truck that was stolen by two runaway teenagers shared the events that led up to the deadly shooting with officers in Muskogee.

Chris James said he saw his truck Monday for the first time since it was stolen. He said this one time, he left his key inside his truck because he had a hole in his jeans. It's not something he usually does, and he never expected this result. 

"It certainly looks different than it did a week ago. There's a cracked windshield that was not here, and all these dents here are all new," James said. 

James said he's grateful his truck still runs. He said the cracks and dents will always be a reminder of what happened a week ago Sunday. He was visiting his mother, and when he went inside, he left his keys in his truck. 

"I always put the keys and take the keys out. I just happen to be looking at some beehives that day and wore some pants that I had a hole in a pocket, and that’s the only reason while I didn’t take the keys out of the car," James explained. 

He said he saw a young boy look at his truck in the driveway. 

"I opened up the door and walked out and around that time the truck was backing out of the driveway and I was actually parked right here," James recalled.

James said as the truck backed out, he walked up to it, and then the two teens inside sped off. Later he learned from police that the teens were carrying guns.

 "The last thing that I truly thought of when I saw them was, they would've been armed and potentially dangerous," James said. 

The teens, Farrah Rouch and Joseph Dugan, drove James' truck down Highway 69 with a trail of police cars behind them. The teens crashed the car and shot at police trying to escape. Officials said Rouch was shot and killed by police, and Dugan shot and killed himself. ‘

Related Story: Body Cam Footage Released From Deadly Shooting Involving Officers, Runaway Teenagers

Police said the teens ran away from their hometown of Blair, Nebraska and went through Jacksonville, Florida, Tipton, Georgia, London, Arkansas, before coming to Muskogee. 

"The unbelievable story is here's a couple of kids that have run away and gone through multiple states with a number of different vehicles and they end up with my truck," James said. 

James said he is grateful to have the truck back because he uses it for his beekeeping business. He said might be left with a hefty bill of over $600 but said he's thankful to still be alive.

"I guess we will have to sell more honey this year," James laughed. 

James also said his heart goes out to the families of the two teens, and he has been invited to attend Farrah Rouch's funeral in Nebraska Wednesday.