Edgewater, FL - The Edgewater Police Department is earning praise for one of their videos that shows an officer successfully deploying a StopStick tire deflation device during a chase.
According to the device's manufacturer, StopStick, Edgewaterd PD and Officer Joshua Feger earned the award for 2019's Video of the Year for a situation that took place back on June 25th, 2019.
Everything began when the Daytona Beach Police Department attempted to stop a suspect in a stolen BMW. When the didn't stop, an undercover vehicle followed them as central dispatch alerted other law enforcement agencies close to southbound I-95, as that's where the suspect was headed.
Officers from surrounding agencies quickly positioned at potential exits from the highway. Air One also assisted in the search.
According to StopStick, Feger was on patrol when the call went out. At some point, the suspect took the Edgewater exit, where Feger was waiting with the Stop Stick device, which he had pre-deployed on the opposite side of the road.
Feger chose a spot near the southbound overpass and northbound underpass that offered a concrete barrier for protection and a good vantage point. Eventually, the suspect hit the device, unknown that they were being followed. After the vehicle was hit, they saw patrol lights and fled to a nearby neighborhood. But, they didn't last long as the car came to a stop several minutes later.
After the vehicle stopped, a two-year-old was rescued from the vehicle. It's reported that she was the daughter of the passenger suspect. The driver was also removed from the vehicle. They faced multiple charges, including theft of a motor vehicle, drug possession, driving with a suspended license, and possession of a stolen firearm. The arrest also revealed connections to an earlier, unsolved burglary of a gun shop in another city.
