UMVA has learned that a shocking incident unfolded during a routine traffic stop in Dallas, where a handcuffed suspect allegedly hijacked a police cruiser, took an officer on a perilous ride, and made a daring escape while the vehicle was still in motion.
The stunning sequence of events began on May 30 at around 5:35 p.m., when two officers pulled over a vehicle on South Marsalis Avenue. Stacey Huffman, 37, was taken into custody and placed in the back seat of a patrol car, his hands cuffed behind his back.
As officers transported Huffman to jail, body camera and dash camera footage reveals that he managed to slip his left hand out of the handcuffs and conceal his hands behind his back. The video shows Huffman attempting to open the locked rear door and removing his seatbelt, prompting officers to stop the squad car on Interstate 35 to further restrain him.
In a shocking turn of events, as both officers exited the vehicle, Huffman suddenly climbed into the driver's seat and sped away, with one officer trapped in the back seat. The officer deployed his Taser, but Huffman pulled the wires away, rendering it ineffective. The officer can be heard shouting, "Stop the car!" as Huffman accelerated, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic crash.
The patrol car swerved down the roadway, with the officer being violently tossed around the back seat. Huffman then opened the driver's-side door while traveling at approximately 50 mph and jumped from the moving vehicle, leaving the officer to lunge into the front seat and regain control of the patrol car.
The vehicle traveled roughly 1,000 feet during the incident, with Huffman in control for about 30 seconds. Huffman was rendered unconscious and taken back into custody, while the officer was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Huffman faces a slew of charges, including escape from custody, and the incident remains under investigation.
