According to FOX 10, a paraplegic is accused of leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase from Daphne into Mobile on Sunday night after the man and another individual allegedly boosted a television from a local Walmart.
The suspect’s reportedly wheelchair flew out of his car during the chase.
Police said the suspects are Ronnie Watson, a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair, and Benjimion Mose. The two are accused of stealing a 55-inch television from the Daphne Walmart shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday.
An officer spotted their vehicle a short time later and attempted to make a stop at a red light. However, police advised the suspects took off when the officer approached the car, leading to a multi-jurisdictional chase.
“At one point during the chase, the offender’s vehicle hit something,” Sgt. Jason Vannoy with Daphne Police told FOX 10. “I don’t know if it was a culvert or a curb or something, and a wheelchair flew out of the trunk, so that was very uncommon. That doesn’t happen very often.”
Two Daphne patrol units pursued the vehicle, which police stated was being driven by Watson, across the causeway, north on Highway 98 and over the Cochran Bridge. Traffic camera footage even captured some of the chase as it entered Mobile County.
According to the police report, speeds reached 95 miles per hour during the chase. To put an end to the pursuit, the Mobile Police Department had to put out a spike strip, which reportedly disabled the suspect’s car on 1st Avenue near Williams Street.
One of the Daphne units also had a tire flattened by the strip. Both suspects were taken into custody at that point without further incident.
Despite the drama of the chase, Daphne Police said it was warranted.
“It’s up to the officer’s discretion in continuing that pursuit if they feel like it is safe or as safe as it can be with the light traffic and conditions,” Vannoy explained. “It wasn’t raining. The roads weren’t wet. There just wasn’t a whole lot of traffic out so that certainly played into that decision to continue on with the chase.”
Mobile PD was later able to recover Watson’s wheelchair after it flew from the trunk.
He and Mose have both been charged with theft of property. Additionally, Watson has also been charged with DUI, attempting to elude and several traffic violations.
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Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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