Suspect Punches N.C. Police Officer in the Face, Then Steals Her Cruiser
What to know
• A Brevard police officer suffered minor injuries when a suspect struck her and stole her patrol car, triggering a multi-agency pursuit that ended when a Henderson County sheriff's deputy used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle.
• The suspect was arrested after resisting deputies, and all police equipment inside the stolen cruiser was recovered.
• Foster faces multiple charges, including fleeing and eluding, possession of a stolen vehicle, reckless driving, and resisting an officer.
An unusual case of police chasing a patrol car played out on Interstate 26, after a suspect managed to get behind the wheel of an officer’s vehicle, according to investigators in western North Carolina.
It happened early Wednesday, Dec. 10, and the pursuit came to an abrupt end when a Henderson County sheriff’s deputy slammed his vehicle into the car, the Brevard Police Department said in a news release.
“This morning, a Brevard Police Department officer sustained minor injuries after being struck in the face by an individual she was attempting to detain,” police officials said. “After assaulting the officer, Ramae Cynquan Foster ... took the city vehicle and fled the scene.”
The resulting pursuit reached Mills River – about 14 miles northeast on Interstate 26 – and included officers from the Brevard, Fletcher and Hendersonville police departments, along with Asheville Airport police and the N.C. Highway Patrol, officials said.
“Henderson County sheriff’s deputies utilized a precision immobilization technique (PIT) during the pursuit, which disabled the fleeing vehicle near exit 53 on I-26,” Brevard police said.
“No one was injured as a result of the PIT maneuver, though Henderson County deputies encountered resistance from the suspect, who was subsequently arrested.”
Photos shared on social media show the stolen car ended up on the side of the interstate, surrounded by law enforcement vehicles.
Foster, 36, has been charged with: fleeing/eluding an arrest with a motor vehicle; possession of a stolen vehicle; resisting a public officer; reckless driving to endanger; stop light violation and driving the wrong way in traffic, records show.
All police equipment and weapons were accounted for in the stolen vehicle, police said.
Brevard is about a 125-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.
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