Paulding County chase: Deputy uses PIT maneuver to stop fleeing U-Haul

Paulding County deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop a fleeing U-Haul truck containing a five-gallon bucket of copper wire following a break-in call at an abandoned gas station on Dallas Acworth Highway, resulting in four arrests.

The Details

The Brief

Paulding County deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop a fleeing U-Haul truck following a suspicious activity call on Dallas Acworth Highway.

Deputies arrested driver Bobbie Eveans and found a 5-gallon bucket of copper wire inside the vehicle, officials said.

Three others were charged with loitering and bonded out of jail, while Eveans remains behind bars as of Friday afternoon.

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Paulding County deputies took four people into custody and used a PIT maneuver to stop a fleeing U-Haul truck after responding to a break-in at an abandoned gas station on Dallas Acworth Highway last week.

What we know

Deputies responded to a suspicious activity call at an old gas station on Dallas Acworth Highway last Tuesday.

When they arrived, they found people inside the building with a broken glass window who refused orders to come out, according to Deputy James Turner.

Moments later, a woman exited the front of the building and climbed into a U-Haul truck with a deputy close behind.

Body camera video captured a deputy yelling, "Get out of the car! Get out of the car! Now!" before glass breaks and the woman replies, "OK, I will!"

Dash and body camera footage shows the U-Haul driving away as deputies pursued it.

The truck weaved around traffic cones and other vehicles, even going off-road at one point before a deputy used a PIT maneuver to bring it to a stop.

Dig deeper

Deputies arrested the driver, identified as Bobbie Eveans, after they said she bailed from the stopped truck.

Investigators searched the U-Haul and found a 5-gallon bucket of copper wire inside, according to the sheriff's office.

Three other people — identified as Steven Haynes, Phillip Evans and Dana Garrett — were also taken into custody and charged with loitering.

Deputies said the property owner declined to press trespassing charges for the break-in. The old gas station was demolished shortly after the incident.

As of Friday afternoon, jail records show Eveans remains in custody, while the other three suspects have bonded out.

What they're saying

Turner explained that deputies carefully weigh safety factors before ending a pursuit with a PIT maneuver.

"Before we just perform a pit, there's a lot of circumstances that are evaluated, especially the citizens of Paulding County -- they come first when making these decisions," Turner said. "Traffic conditions, weather conditions, all of that comes into play."

What we don't know

Investigators have not confirmed where the 5-gallon bucket of copper wire found inside the U-Haul came from, whether it was stripped from the abandoned gas station or if any theft charges are pending.

Authorities have not said how far the pursuit traveled from Dallas Acworth Highway before the PIT maneuver brought the truck to a stop, whether the U-Haul was legally rented or stolen, or if anyone was injured during the chase.

The Source

The information in this story was gathered from the Paulding County Sheriff's Office, which released dash and body camera footage of the pursuit and provided an interview with Deputy James Turner, as well as Paulding County jail records and reporting by FOX 5's Rey Llerena.