Police said the suspect accused of ramming multiple Shawnee police cruisers is in custody. Police have identified the suspect as James E. Burnett.
On Thursday around 8:20 p.m., a Shawnee police officer stopped a motorist for a traffic violation in the parking lot of Temp Stop on Pflumm Road. During the field investigation, the motorist began ramming the officer's vehicle. Shawnee police said he also rammed two other Shawnee police officers' vehicles who had just arrived on the scene to assist.
The suspect fled the scene in his automobile and a motor vehicle pursuit developed. Police said the car crashed into a wooded area at Swarner Park on Lackman Road.
As officers approached the vehicle, they found the suspect had fled on foot. The area is heavily wooded and features difficult terrain to navigate, according to Shawnee police. Police established a perimeter and a search of the area using K-9s was unsuccessful.
Police said the suspect was a white male, approximately 40 years old, bald with a heavy-set build. The condition of the suspect wasn't known as he fled into the woods.
Police said during the incident officers were not injured. Shawnee police vehicles sustained damage from the suspect's efforts to flee in his vehicle.
Around 10:20 a.m. on Friday, Shawnee police were called to the 6000 block of Charlotte Court to investigate a suspicious subject. The person, who matched the description of the suspect from the previous incident, was offering to pay for a ride from the area.
After Shawnee police called off the search on Friday, officers remained to patrol the area in case the suspect came out of hiding and sought to leave. Police said the suspect was located walking in an area close to the search. Shawnee police said he was taken into custody without incident.
Authorities notified two nearby schools - Broken Arrow Elementary School and Maranatha Christian Academy - while police searched the neighborhood for the suspect.
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