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The chase lasted about 27 miles, with the RV riding on just its rims after stop sticks popped the tires.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Sparks flew as Glynn County Police Department tried to stop a RV that was reported stolen out of Virginia.
The chase lasted for several miles along I-95 only to come to an end at the very top of the Sydney Lanier Bridge.
“I’ve never heard or anything like that,” said Waffle House Employee Racquel Rooks, who witnessed part of the chase. “A camper carrying another camper, just booking it from the police. It was crazy.”
An unforgettable shift for Racquel Rooks at the Waffle House near Exit 29 on I-95 in Glynn County, as she watched the middle of a police chase after a RV towing a camper – with blown tires.
“I’m surprised he didn’t catch anything else on fire with the way the axle was throwing sparks on the ground,” Rooks said.
Little did Rooks know this chase had already been going on for 20 miles at that point.
The McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department says it started at Mile Marker 49 on I-95 where a deputy noticed a RV almost strike several vehicles.
During the stop, the driver told deputies he didn’t have a license, and he took off, hitting a deputy in the arm in the process. A spokesperson says that deputy is sore, but should be fine.
The tags showed the RV was missing from a dealership in Virginia, and the camper missing from a dealership in West Virginia.
“Crazy they made it all the way down here before they could find them,” Rooks said. “Just so crazy it happened right here.”
GCPD got involved at Exit 36 on I-95, where they used stop sticks to bust the RVs tires.
“Those are inherently dangerous themselves for the officer to use them, and it’s tough to do on a four-lane highway like interstate 95, but they were successful,” Glynn County Police Captain Bryan Sipe said.
GCPD used more stop sticks at Exit 29, which meant the RV was riding on rims by the time it got to Rooks’ Waffle House.
It made a U-turn to head toward Brunswick before ultimately stopping at the top of the Sydney Lanier Bridge.
“We’re unsure if he just stopped or if the vehicle couldn’t make it up the bridge because it didn’t have any tires left,” said Sipe. “It’s a steep grade.”
After shutting the bridge down briefly, GCPD arrested the driver Roberto Ortiz and passenger Shaina Boucle.
Rooks will always have the video to remind herself of one of the craziest nights at the Waffle House.
“Even the customers came out and sat there to watch it with us,” said Rooks.
McIntosh County took Ortiz into custody and he’ll face stolen vehicle charges from them and several driving related charges here in Glynn County.
As for Boucle, she had an active felony warrant for her arrest out of Miami, so she was booked in Glynn County while they sort that out.