Stun Gun Used by Iowa Officers to Stop Runaway Truck Driver

After law enforcement officials chased Gregory Myers, aged 50, of Cascade, across two counties, Muscatine County sheriff’s deputies finally brought him to a halt.

In the early morning hours the law in Scott County hooked up with the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office. Around 1:55 a.m. a gray Dodge pickup had refused to stop for an officer in the Buffalo area and was last seen heading west on Iowa Highway 22. That announcement started the next phase of activities.

According to Captain Dave Lerch, a deputy attempted to stop the truck by using a driving maneuver taught in officer training classes. He bumped the truck with the police cruiser, but that didn’t work. Officers also laid out stop sticks in strategic intersections. The sticks have sharply pointed metal sticks which can pop out of the three-sided chock block officers place across anticipated travel lanes. When the device is triggered, by a hand-held transmitter, the sticks emerge and usually manage to puncture the tires of any vehicles traveling across them.

The stop sticks didn’t work on Myers. Instead, an officer had to shoot the suspect with a stun gun to bring him to a halt.
Lerch stated that jail records showed Myers was charged with operating while intoxicated (his second offense), possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, improper use of registration, no insurance, driving with a suspended license, and eluding police.