This Weekend’s On Patrol: Live Highlights, Commentary, and Social Media Activity

A recap of the April 20, 2024, On Patrol: Live episode (OPL #02-68) appears below.

[NOTE: Click here for the OPL #02-67, April 19, 2024, recap.]

Please review this important DISCLAIMER.

On Patrol: Live Summary for April 20, 2024 (#OPL Episode 02-68)

  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Rebekah Smith and other units, including a K9 search a residential neighborhood on foot for two suspects who allegedly ditched an alleged stolen car in the area. Vehicle search. One suspect detained. Cpl. Smith: “Based on convenience store footage, we were able to confirm the one we do have detained was the driver of the vehicle. And he’s gonna be charged with possession of stolen vehicle and unlawful carry because of the gun that he had on his possession. And he’s under 18, so he’s gonna get charged with that.”
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Ofr. Tim Jackson and paramedics are dispatched to the scene of a hit-and-run accident. A victim has a leg wound. Dan Abrams: “So obviously a pretty serious injury there as they try to figure out exactly what happened and potentially who was responsible.”
  • Lee County, Fla. — Dep. Jacob Sahagian responds to the scene where a motorist drive up on the sidewalk/restaurant patio. “Didn’t take out the patio — good thing.” He makes contact with the driver as well as staff at the eatery. “Is that your normal parking spot?” — “Trying to get front-row parking”? A traffic unit is called to the scene to conduct a DUI investigation. Dep. Sahagian mentions that “So because we have a ‘wheel’ witness, the manager here saw him driving the vehicle, we all can see that he is under the influence of something that appears to be an alcoholic beverage with that strong odor coming off…” Abrams: “Remember, he crashed his car into an outdoor cafe. He has apparently a previous DUI…and the initial phases of that test don’t seem to be going that well, but we shall see.” See Dep. Sahagian’s summary below.

“I would like to get that contractor’s name…”

Abrams: “We heard him say a moment ago about the fact that the woman who was the reporting party is willing to sign a statement saying she saw him drive right into the spot where he is right now.” Larkin: “Yeah. It’s kind of no different than a traffic accident that happens on the roadway. If somebody is intoxicated, which right now they believe that he might be, if you’ve got a witness that can put that person behind the wheel, they can go through with the full testing process, look inside the car, and so forth, and end up with a charge potentially for driving under the influence.” Dep. Curtis Wilson: “Fortunate that no one was coming in and out and no one was hurt in that because, of course, he’s right in front of the establishment.”

Dep. Sahagian update: “So we had a call for service for a vehicle driving on a sidewalk and then ultimately crashing in front of a business. This is the…business that got property damaged. There people eating, approximately eight people were out here. We’re speaking to them. Thankfully he did not go through the patio. It’s a pretty well-built structure. I would like to get that contractor’s name. But this could have been a lot worse in all seriousness. And driver just had a previous DUI back in February. I don’t know the whole limits of that right now…driving aunt’s car from Ohio, supposed to be living down here for seven years. ‘Best’ part is auntie’s gonna have to come down from Ohio and take care of her ‘grandson’s’ dirty work because she’s got to get this out of the impound lot. And he didn’t do too well on the field sobriety exercises. Our traffic unit found probable cause to arrest him.. did not dispel her fears of driving under the influence. So he is going to the Marceno Motel where he’s gonna be booked and charged accordingly. He did refuse a breathalyzer, so we’re not gonna know what his BAC is or anything like that, but it’s up there, and so we’re waiting on a tow truck right now. And once we get here, we’re gonna get this thing unwedged, and taken care of him, and get them back in working order and fashion.” Abrams: “He’s joking about the contractor, but seriously, that was not sort of heavy steel. There could have been some serious injuries right there.” Larkin: “Absolutely. I think you were just talking about an unfortunate incident that happened somewhere else today where a vehicle drove into a crowd of people, killed a couple of kids, injuring a bunch of people.” Abrams: “So we’re lucky that did not happen here.”

  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofrs. Brian Zozaya and Joe Richard respond to a report of an alleged assault with a deadly weapon, which might or might not have involved a pliers. A subject is detained at gunpoint. “I didn’t do nothing…it’s a working tool…” Cops also make contact with a man who appears to be a victim. Abrams: “It does not appear that they have determined yet who was the aggressor there and who was the victim.” Investigation ongoing.

Ofr. Richard initial summary: “Sounds like the gentleman in this car was assaulted by this gentleman in the orange shirt. He got hit with a rock. As officers got on scene, the gentleman over here in this unit basically said, ‘hey, I got hit by a rock by this guy over here.’ And then ran after him. Obviously, we’re here for a reason to figure out what we got, but we’re not gonna allow just people to start fighting. So right now, everyone’s detained. It sounded like this gentleman’s over here — his dad came over to kind of figure out what’s going on. He’s upset because his son’s in handcuffs. But I was just trying to explain to him, ‘look we don’t know what we got, but people are trying to fight, and we’re gonna detain them.’ And just because they’re in handcuffs doesn’t mean they’re being placed under arrest. It’s just a detention. So we’re trying to calm everyone down, get the story of what we have here. And then after that, if, he’s a victim, and this is the suspect, then we’ll take cuffs off of him, take photos of him and his alleged injuries, and then if he’s our true suspect, then he’ll be going to jail. So still trying to figure it out. Still an ongoing investigation right now, but were’ trying to calm all the emotions right now so we can do a thorough investigation.” Abrams: “Of course, the question here they’re trying to evaluate is who was defending himself. And that’s what they got to figure out.”

Abrams update: “The guy who threw the rock has been arrested for assault with a deadly weapon for throwing the rock. But the guy with the bandage on his face, the guy who was hit with the rock, also arrested, but him for resisting arrest.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Carli Drayton makes contact with a woman who is allegedly wandering in the middle of the road. No ID. “What drugs did you do today? You’re tripping.” During a pat down, a pipe is found. “Not mine; I only use small bowls.” The woman is transported to the hospital for evaluation.
  • Coweta County, Ga. (pre-recorded segment) — Responding to a car accident, Dep. Myles Moran and a colleague, as well as some bystanders, help rescue a motorist from a car nearly submerged in water by smashing the driver’s side window and pulling him out. Paramedics arrive on scene. The driver is transported to a medical facility.

Dep. Moran summary: “…You can see where he went off the roadway, came down, hit the tree pretty hard, and kind of spun him a little bit into the water. He had a device that shorted out that basically beats his heart. But we have quite a few citizens here. There’s actually some in the water. Like a big joint effort, very thankful for.” Abrams: “Good news is the victim has since been released from the hospital. Also want to give out a shout-out to our camera person there, Nick Atwood, who jumped right in to the water without missing a beat.” Larkin: “…It’s a joint effort. The citizens, the police, the firemen, did what they could to possibly save this young man’s life.”

  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. TJ Norton conducts a traffic stop. “We stopped this gentleman for failure to stop at a stop sign back there. He was trying to figure out the lie to tell, but I was a step ahead of him. I was a little witty like that.”
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Richard racing to a scene to provide backup on a vehicle stop at gunpoint. A firearm is allegedly inside the vehicle. Dispatch subsequently calls him off because there are sufficient units on scene. “We’re cancelled from that one, and then we’re back on the roadway trying to find something else.”
  • Indian River County, Fla. (pre-recorded segment) — Dep. Brandon McKenzie and other units respond to a report of a driver allegedly passed out behind the wheel at an intersection. “I’m an anti-submarine warfare expert…am I inebriated?” Field sobriety testing. “It’s these damn sneakers.” Deputy McKenzie very politely places the driver under arrest for alleged DUI.

“It’s these damn sneakers.”

Dep. McKenzie summary: “As soon as I came on the scene, got less than 10 yards from him, I could smell the odor of alcohol beverages. Conducted standardized field sobriety exercises. As you can see, he didn’t do so well…right now, he’s gonna be transported to the Indian River County jail…he’ll be given an opportunity to provide a breath sample.” Abrams: “At the jail, he blew a point 199, which is triple — well, not quite triple — but two and a half times the legal limit. At what point can they say, ‘look, it’s clear this guy is drunk. We don’t need to keep doing these field sobriety tests.’ A lot of people ask us that when they write in, they say ‘why do they have to keep doing all these tests?'” Wilson: “In this case here, all the telltale signs were there that this guy was intoxicated. But what they do is they do enough for evidence because if they go to court, you have the defense attorneys who try to throw out stuff..so they get enough for this video and all of these tests that they do helps bolster the case.”

  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Smith and some colleagues, as well as bystanders, enjoy petting some ponies after a horse trailer had a flat tire and were helped by some citizens. Caption: “Who is that masked mare?” Abrams: “Two beautiful horses and two good Samaritans.” When one of the horses gets a treat, Abrams adds that ” I wouldn’t have known that Twizzlers were a mainstay of horses.” Wilson: “The sugar makes them run faster.”
  • Triple Play #2 — High-speed pursuit of a Dodge Challenger in Brooksville, Fla.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Ofr. Jackson is dispatched to call about two females allegedly fighting, one of whom is using an “adult toy.” One or both of the individuals might be intoxicated.
  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Sgt. Marcus Booth and Lt. Richie Maher make contact with a motorist who is parked at a gas station whose vehicle allegedly almost hit two people. The vehicle appears to have front-end damage.
  • Coweta County, Ga. — Cpl. Chris Teare conducts a traffic stop on a car with an invalid tag plus other infractions. The driver seems to echoing the sovereign citizen script or talking points or something along those lines. Cpl. Teare: “Do you have a valid driver’s license?” Driver: “I travel with my passport.” Probable cause search prompted by the alleged odor of weed. Cpl. Teare mentions to the driver that “the best way I can explain it you is that driving is a privilege, not a right, okay? So you’re on Georgia’s roadways. You need to have your vehicle registered and a valid driver’s license.” The driver is taken into custody after an investigation.

“Do you have a valid driver’s license?” Driver: “I travel with my passport.”

Cpl. Teare initial summary: “So stopped the vehicle because he has no valid registration on the rear of the car. Smelling the odor of marijuana coming from the car. He’s a little bit argumentative about the sovereign citizen thing. So we’re gonna try and figure everything out.” Abrams: “It’s always sort of fascinating to me. Does someone tell them this stuff works? Like, if you get pulled over…” Larkin: “I have yet to see it work anywhere. It’s the same common verbiage every single time, no matter where it’s at…” Wilson: “No license, no registration.” Abrams: “But there’s got to be somewhere online..,where people are saying, ‘oh, by the way, yeah, you’ll get out of a ticket if you tell them you’re a private citizen who’s ‘traveling’ and ‘not driving’…” Wilson: “All you need is your passport.”

Cpl. Teare incident follow-up: “So he’s gonna be placed under arrest for obstruction, possession of marijuana, along with having an expired tag, and no valid registration. So we’re fortunate it ended in a safe way. These encounters can be dangerous. I think at the end of it, we had a good conversation both ways. So, unfortunately, like I said, his vehicle’s unregistered. You can see the tag. ‘No driver’s license or insurance required. Not for commercial use. Private vehicle.’ It’s a common trend we see on the road. And unfortunately, a lot of police officers and a lot of citizens, they get hurt because there’s no communication. And it’s a one-way street. Nobody will communicate with each other. So fortunately, nobody got hurt. He’s gonna be taken away to Coweta County jail. We’ll tow the vehicle, and then we’ll get out of here.” Abrams: “That tag is just begging to get pulled over.”

“That tag is just begging to get pulled over.”

  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Richard provides backup in an alleged drunk-drunk driver pursuit. When stopped, multiple cops pull the subject out of the driver’s side window. Ofr. Richard summary: “Sounds like we were in pursuit of an in-progress stolen vehicle that happened in the east side of our city. [An officer] found the vehicle. Sounds like this vehicle is also involved in a hit-and-run incident. So, when he tried to conduct a traffic stop, the car just continued to take off and ended up in a pursuit. When we got to this intersection…the car ended up crashing into, I’m guessing, this curb right here. And they took the driver into custody right now. So, right now, we have…sounds like a vehicle theft in progress, or a vehicle theft, and then also a hit and run. And they evaded from officers. So right now, we’re gonna try to get in contact with the victim so they can come and get their car. We’re trying to get it out of the roadway, too, because it’s not gonna be able to move at all…the front passenger tire is gonna be all jacked up.” Ofr. Zozaya adds that “the original call for service was a report of a stolen vehicle. So they actually just stole this vehicle from in front of the reporting party’s residence. [The officer] located it and went on a short pursuit. And he ended up…losing control of the vehicle and crashing right here. So we’ve got one suspect in custody…”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Smith is dispatched to a call about someone next to a dumpster with a bloody face at an apartment complex. She makes contact with a man who is lying face down between parked cars. Paramedics summoned. Cpl. Smith: “You’re pretty messed up, man. We can’t leave you like this.”
  • Lee County, Fla. — Dep. Sahagian initiates a traffic stop. The vehicle pulls over at a gas station, but then one occupant foot bails. Foot pursuit. Dep. Sahagian deploys a taser to apprehend the man (who apparently was a passenger.) “If you move, we’re gonna a have a problem.” The man, who is screaming after being tased, insists that “I’m not doing nothing.” The deputy mentions that the man will be transported to the Marceno Motel (after he is checked out at the hospital). The driver who did not run is separately detained. The passenger apparently had an outstanding warrant. Heavy bleeping at the scene.

“I’m not doing nothing.”

  • BOLO updates and new BOLO segment (Colton, Calif).
  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. Smith responds to a report of a fight in progress at an apartment complex. A woman at the scene says, however, that “we’re just family arguing.” Smith: “Looks like it’s just a big family disagreement. No actual fight took place. So we’re gonna get out of here. Looks like most of all the parties are leaving now.”
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Richard responds to a report of man wearing boxers allegedly wielding a knife. He makes contact with the parties and tries to mediate the situation which might involve a domestic-related dispute between a man and his wife and stepson (“he’s getting in my mom’s face, and he’s pushing me…he’s just super drunk”). There may be no actual knife involved. Abrams: “Smart of that guy to have recorded that…” Wilson: “Guy’s calling and saying he had a knife; he really didn’t have one, so that’s his proof.” he wife and stepson agree to leave the location for the evening.”
  • Triple Play #3 — Bernalillo County, N.M. Abrams previews the segment by describing it as “a bizarre escape involving a prisoner who said he really had to go — and then went.” A suspect tries to escape from a hospital restroom and supposedly causes $20,000 in damages in the process.
  • Toledo, Ohio — While on routine patrol, Ofrs. Lindsey Erhart and Brooke Janowiecki see a two-car accident. Abrams to Larkin: “You ever seen accidents happen in front of you as a cop?” Larkin: “Unfortunately, I have. You spend hours upon hours every single day throughout your a career. When you’re out on the roadway like that, these type of things happen right in front of you at times.” Ofr. Erhart update: “Brooke talked to the other driver. He’s saying that he just lost control of the vehicle, and he avoided hitting us. He tried to avoid hitting us which he did, but other than that, he’s not really saying anything. So he’s gonna be cited with a citation tonight for the accident.” Abrams: “Ugly accident that happened literally right in front of Officer Erhart and Janowiecki. Helps them evaluate the scene when you almost witness the entire thing.”
  • Missing Update and and follow-up Missing segment (Atlanta)
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Abrams: “Looks like we got another sovereign citizen… another person saying that they’re traveling, and that they don’t need a driver’s license. And they just have a passport; that should be sufficient.” Cpl. Bryson Fowler makes contact a motorist at a traffic stop who denies being a sovereign citizen but allegedly has as similar belief system. In a friendly conversation, Cpl. Fowler politely explains that someone who adheres to that general ideology is “gonna run into some issues.” This motorist does have a valid license, though. The motorist, who claims he is tax exempt, distinguishes the sovereign citizen philosophy as “a whole other ballgame.” Abrams: “Just infuriating nonsense.” Abrams subsequently makes reference to “the guy who says he’s definitely not a definitely not sovereign citizen but definitely does not need to abide by the laws of the state of South Carolina because he is not a citizen, but a South Carolinian…he’s a lucky guy, right? Tax exempt. Doesn’t have to abide by the rules of the road. It’s kind of a good gig being a traveler…”

“….It’s kind of a good gig being a traveler…”

  • Coweta County, Ga. — Dep. Calvin Kirby and other first responders arrive at a scene of a Dodge Charger car fire. Dep. Kirby: “He was driving and saw a spark, so he pulled over, and then said he saw his car explode, and the car was fully engulfed in flames when we got here. So it looks like they got most of it out now.”