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

An On Patrol: Live recap, including NYC studio host Dan Abrams’ puns, analysis, and banter with co-anchor Curtis Wilson (a Richland County, S.C., deputy sheriff), and retired Tulsa, Okla., cop Sean “Sticks” Larkin, who is an original member of the TV trio, along with the often-snarky or playful social media reaction, follows.

For background information about On Patrol: Live (i.e., Live PD 2.0), that airs on the Reelz channel (which is available on the Peacock and FreeCast streaming services), click here.

Please review this important DISCLAIMER.

On Patrol: Live Summary for April 19, 2024 (#OPL Episode 02-67)

Quick summary: This episode was dominated by two back-to-back and long police pursuits for suspects in Richland County, S.C., and Fontana, Calif., respectively, where cops came up short on both.

  • Richland County, S.C. — Cpl. TJ Norton and numerous other units investigate a shooting in a residential area. One man is allegedly shot in the leg. Shell casings found when deputies look for evidence. Cpl. Norton: “Apparently, the gentleman was at home — got shot while he was at home. He was driving himself to the hospital. It appeared he went off the side of the road here and wrecked out. So we’re gonna walk up here and see if we can’t help out real quick.”
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Joe Richard and other units respond to a report of a retail theft by several suspects. In the course of the investigation, one man wearing a Nike shirt (Dan Abrams quips “Just do it”) is detained. “Stop playing games, bro.” Cops find a bag of items that was allegedly dumped in a nearby trash container. The man who insists that “I didn’t do anything” is subsequently released with no charges.

Ofr. Richard summary: “So basically, they said that he did pay for all his belongings, so that’s fine. So we’re gonna end up ‘kicking’ him. So all this stuff probably belongs to the other two guys that he was with. He doesn’t want to give them up. Totally understand; they usually don’t…we also have our airship looking overhead for the other two guys. So there’s only this one bag full of all the stolen property. If we can’t find them, then we’re just gonna return everything back to the…store. And case closed for this one. But we’re gonna ‘kick’ this guy, and let him go about his day…so we’ll let him go because he’s not a suspect that’s of interest right now. He legally bought his stuff. He’s just hanging out with knuckleheads, so there’s no point in holding him here. But we’re gonna continue to do our area check right now for the other suspects. If we can’t find them, then we’re gonna return all the property back to the…store. So that’s gonna be it for this. We’re just gonna collect this property right here, and then put it in back of our unit….” Abrams: “So to be clear, he is being released with no charges. They believe he actually paid for the items that he had, but that they believe he was with a couple of other guys who may have stolen things, and they’re still looking for them.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Devante Smith and a colleague respond to a store where a man who had previously been trespassed allegedly returned there. The subject is not in the store, however.
  • Fontana, Calif. — Ofr. Victor Reyes responds to a report of an alleged neighbor fight or assault and gets both sides of the story. Reyes tells one of the males allegedly involved that “Ultimately, what I want to do here is help you guys squash this.” Apparently, the family feud is tamped down. Abrams: “You see Officer Reyes there [trying to] figure out how to resolve this thing and not let it happen again as soon as he leaves.”
  • Indian River County, Fla. — Det. Christian Castano conducts a traffic stop. K9 alert on the passenger side; probable cause car search. The car search was apparently also consensual. The two occupants are subsequently released with no charges.
  • Indian River County, Fla. (pre-recorded segment) — Dep. Brandon McKenzie and other units initiate a traffic stop at gunpoint on a slow roller for erratic driving. The vehicle comes to a stop in the motorist’s driveway: “I live here, I own this house, I just had surgery…I did nothing wrong.” McKenzie: “This is like a safe zone you thought?” In addition to mentioning Paw Patrol, the driver separately adds that he consumed the OPL-familiar “two beers.” Field sobriety testing.

Dep. McKenzie summary: “Conducted a DUI investigation…he didn’t do well at all. He’s very intoxicated. We’re just lucky he didn’t hit anybody in between now and my stop because it was pretty bad, his driving pattern. So he’s gonna be taking a trip to the Indian County jail for driving under the influence and felony fleeing and eluding.” Abrams: “The driver refused to submit to a breath test. Since it was his second DUI, it resulted in an automatic, 18-month suspension of his license. And…he did the thing where he says, ‘I’m home, so what’s the issue?'” Dep. Curtis Wilson: “A lot of folks think that this is real, that once they make it to their house, it’s a safe zone. ‘You can’t come get me; you can’t get on my property.’ But that’s not how it works.”

  • Richland County, S.C. — Master Dep. Braylyn Salmond makes contact with an older man at Waffle House on a report of alleged erratic or reckless driving by a pick-up truck that is parked outside. The subject says he drank “a beer or two.” The man’s wife apparently does not have her driver’s license with her. Dep. Salmond: “He said she was driving; she don’t want to answer any questions about who was driving…”The couple may need to make other arrangements to get home. Abrams: “So keep in mind that Master Deputy Salmond didn’t in any way identify who was driving. The guy said it was the woman. The woman said she wouldn’t answer any questions. And he just wants to now make sure that no one drives that truck home drunk.” Dep. Salmond adds that “If he was drinking and driving, he’s parking safely. We were unable to determine if the female over here was driving or if my man was driving…”
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — With lights and siren activated, Cpl. Hannah Reed initially races to the scene where someone was shot in the head. Caption: “Searching for shooting suspect.” Cpl. Reed and other units attempt to locate the suspect vehicle based on the make and model, allegedly a gray Nissan Altima. Abrams: “Obviously trying to figure out exactly what’s going on here but it sounds like what we know is that someone has head injuries from a gunshot wound, which is obviously very serious, but it sounds like the victim is alive.”

Abrams: “So they’ve got some officers are heading to the scene with the victim while Corporal Hannah Reed here is focusing on trying to find that vehicle.” Wilson: “Absolutely. You have an individual of course, who was shot in the head as we talked about it at that point earlier that he was still breathing, so that’s a good thing. But also as they’re heading there, they’re also looking for that suspect vehicle…” Sean Larkin: “Yeah, and ideally, if you’ve got enough officers available, your first officer is gonna respond to scene, if they’ve got to do life-saving measures, anything like that. If there’s crowd-control problems, other officers will go there, talk to witnesses. The other officers — they should set up perimeters, thoroughfares, away from where the shooting happened, active patrols likes this, and you’re just gonna sit and start looking for this…very common car, but that suspect’s out there somewhere.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Cpl. Smith backs up a neighboring agency in pursuing a vehicle. Another deputy loses sight of the vehicle.
  • Toledo, Ohio — Ofrs. Lindsey Erhart and Brooke Janowiecki, among others, detain a woman possibly after allegedly fleeing, and then search her person. “That’s Motrin; I don’t do no kind of drugs.” Ofr. Janowiecki: “Our crew was attempting to do a traffic stop. The vehicle then fled up into this yard. The female driver is known to have warrants and not have a valid license. So they are verifying her warrants and driving status right now. Most likely she’s gonna be going to jail for the night. There’s talk that there’s possibly drugs either on one of them…”
  • Richland County, S.C. — Dep. Salmond, Cpl. Norton, and other units pursue a fleeing car. The motorist foot bails with the car still rolling, prompting a foot pursuit. The suspect ignores Salmond’s commands to stop running. In the incident which takes up a lot of OPL air time, cops along with a K9 and a helicopter unit thoroughly search the area, including through some difficult terrain, and in a nearby apartment complex for the subject. Perimeter established. Despite their extensive efforts, the subject gets away. Drugs allegedly found in the abandoned car. Dep. Salmond: “We tried to stop that car for not using his turn signal within 100 feet. He didn’t want to stop. So they decided to take off and run. We got caught in a creek, so that’s how he was able to get us today…he made his way through the creek. I got stuck…young guy, probably about 27, 28….”

Dep. Salmond’s additional commentary about the incident: “I saw very vividly the driver got out with a gun, so we’re still trying to locate the driver. The passenger ran to these apartments over here, so he very well could have ran into somebody’s apartment. Everybody willing to help everybody out out here, so you run from police, somebody will open the door for you.

He subsequently mentions that “somebody just called 911 and said that some suspects from a foot chase jumped into some vehicles and left…a white Charger and a black truck. Suspects from a foot chase jumped into those vehicles. So this is the only foot chase we have going on out here right now. So it’s a good chance that those are the guys that we’re looking for.”

“Everybody willing to help everybody out out here, so you run from police, somebody will open the door for you.”

Cpl. Norton: “We still have not found the driver or passenger. We do know — we were able to find his shoes, his pants, and possibly his underwear. So he’s around here somewhere. Found some narcotics and a firearm from the vehicle. So Braylyn is going to start taking care of that, and we’re gonna start breaking down the perimeter.” Abrams: “So having all of those clothes can certainly help the K9s.” Larkin: “Yeah. From my understanding, when a K9 actually does a track, it actually picks up — your body’s dropping cells as it’s running through the brush, and things like that. And it also looks for disturbed vegetation, branches breaking, blades of grass, and things like that. So at least gives them a track to work off of.”

  • Fontana, Calif. — Cops detain a pedestrian in connection with an alleged no-bail warrant. The man is not cuffed initially, and as he takes a final drag on a cigarette before cops take him into custody, he runs off. Ofrs. Reyes and Casandra Gonzales, later joined by Ofr. Richard and other cops, with an assist from a helicopter unit, chase the “pretty fast” man on foot into a supermarket then throughout the surrounding the area. Perimeter established. Despite the persistent efforts of law enforcement in the search, the man gets away. OPL airs footage from the March 23 episode in which Ofr. Reyes allegedly made contact with the same man.

Larkin: “Officer Reyes said he’s fast. He made that comment about him. A motivated suspect, especially somebody with a no-bond warrant, they can cover a lot of ground very, very quickly, as you’re seeing this guy going blocks and blocks and blocks, and still right now evading officers.”

“I definitely let my guard down on this one.”

Ofr. Reyes recap: “We kind of let our guard down a little bit. Got a little too comfortable with the subject. I’m pretty familiar with him. I thought he was gonna be a little bit more cooperative, but I definitely let my guard down on that one. Definitely got way too comfortable and let him slip free, so it turned into a pretty big foot pursuit. I used a lot of resources and a lot of manpower to try to find this guy, but unfortunately he might know the wash area and the freeway areas better than we do, so he unfortunately got away. But we’ll get him next time. He still has a no-bail warrant, so we’ll run into him eventually, and we’ll take him into custody. Abrams: “Officer Reyes owning it right there…[he] owned it, right? He said, ‘I let down my guard.’ Larkin: “Hey, it happens. They know where their mistake was on this. He owned it. He talked about it. I assure you, when they find this guy again, he’ll probably run again, but they will make sure that he doesn’t get away if they encounter him again.” Abrams: ‘He’s not getting a smoke.” Larkin: “There’s no smoke.” Wilson: “No smoke break.”

  • Triple Play #1 — Arkansas fleeing vehicle pursuit.
  • Berkeley County, S.C. — Backed up by other units, Cpl. Smith conducts a traffic stop allegedly for speeding or reckless driving. The motorists denies drinking or having weed. Consensual car search, and a brief DUI investigation. The driver is subsequently released with no charges.
  • Coweta County, Ga. — Cpl. Chris Teare conducts a traffic step and cautions an older male driver who exited the vehicle to stay in the car. Teare: “When you get pulled over, you don’t ever jump out in a traffic stop like that…because I don’t know what you’re about to do.” The motorist is charged with a suspended license. Drug paraphernalia allegedly found in a car search. Cpl. Teare crushes a meth pipe with his shoe. “It’s a meth pipe, sir. I’m not gonna give you your meth pipe back, okay? –you know what I’m saying?” In the friendly conversation, Teare also wonders “why would you ride around knowing your lights don’t work, and you’ve got weed in your car?” A small amount of weed is confiscated for destruction. Abrams: “Let’s get in a break, just as he did to that meth pipe.”

“I’m not gonna give you your meth pipe back, okay?”

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Lt. Richie Maher makes contact with a man in a parking garage with a bloody ear. “I fell and hit the curb.” Lt. Maher says that “the whole lobe is separated.” During the discussion of the wound, the subject says “You guys are freaking out. Should I be freaking out?”

Abrams: “The good news is that guy’s okay. You got ‘Mike Tyson’ right there..” Larkin: “Vincent Van Gogh….that’s gnarly.” Abrams: “But glad to hear he’s doing okay there.”

  • Berkeley County, S.C. (pre-recorded segment) — Cpls. Daniel Lambert and BJ Nelson, along with K9 Kai, conduct a traffic stop and find a gun that a vehicle occupant allegedly tossed. Cpl. Lambert: “Kai is obviously great at what he does. So he was showing interest in this area. Corporal Nelson put him over in that little patch of woods and took him right to it. He’s enjoying his little reward right now with the toy. Turns out the passenger that ran is a juvenile, 17. In South Carolina, you’ve got to be at least 18 to possess firearms. So he’s gonna get charged with minor possession of a firearm and probably evading arrest.”
  • Coweta County, Ga. — Cpl. Teare initiates a traffic stop on a pick-up truck for speeding (“74 in a 55 mph zone”). The driver is a released with a warning. “Hey, ma’am, can you do me a favor and slow down. I got one more mile per hour and that’s super speeder.”
  • Indian River County, Fla. — Det. Castano conducts a traffic stop. Two vehicle occupants. The motorist’s driver’s license has allegedly been invalid for about 11 years. Citation issued. Det. Castano to the driver: “You’re not going to jail tonight; however, you probably should…there’s really no excuse to be driving tonight, but I’m cutting you a break…here’s a copy. Make sure you show up to this court date, because if you don’t show up. you’re gonna have a bench warrant for your arrest.” Driver: “If I don’t show up, it’s because I died tonight.”

“You’re not going to jail tonight; however, you probably should.”

  • Daytona Beach, Fla. — Cops make contact with a man during an investigation of alleged tire slashing. The individual denies the allegation but is arrested. Lt. Maher recap: “He’s gonna go for the criminal mischief, the vandalism tonight, and then whatever’s in these glass vials. I’m not gonna touch them with my hands because I don’t know what’s in them, but a couple of these have got a metal vial. Some of these glass vials with an unknown liquid in them. He said it’s possibly some form or fashion of a marital aid in liquid form, but we’ll find out exactly what it is when we use a multi-kit on it. I have a hankering feeling that he wasn’t honest with me about his six months of sobriety, but if it’s true, good for him. If it’s not true, then at least this will clean him up for the night and get whatever that is off his person so he doesn’t go use it. I’m just gonna standby with the property for a second. That way we don’t lose a chain of custody on it. When they get back, we’ll be heading out of here, and we’ll find out when they send the affidavit what’s in those vials.” Abrams: “All three of us here in studio playing dumb on what those marital aids could possibly be. Discuss and debate.”

“All three of us here in studio playing dumb on what those marital aids could possibly be.”

CLICK HERE for the OPL 02-68, April, 20, 2024, recap.

CLICK HERE for information about the pending OPL lawsuit.

See below for a further update on the April 13 “officer down” incident in Berkeley County as well as an update about the April 13 Indian River County standoff: