Melvern Raffelson was booked into the Clark County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and failure to stop/obey an officer
Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies were forced to deploy a spike strip to detain a reckless driver early Wednesday morning.
On Wednesday (Nov. 2) at about 1 a.m., Clark County Sheriff deputies responded to the report of a F-250 Ford truck driving on its rim, without a tire near the 15900 block of NE 76th Street. Callers reported the vehicle was throwing sparks and gouging the pavement.
After following the trail of the gouged pavement for several miles, Deputy Chelsea Quiggle was able to locate the subject vehicle near the 18200 block of NE 119th Street. The vehicle was still driving on the rim and swerving in the roadway.
Suspecting the driver may be intoxicated, Deputy Quiggle attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop and continued driving recklessly. The driver acknowledged the deputy’s attempted traffic stop by giving her a gesture with his hand out the window.
Deputies were able to successfully deploy spike strips, flattening the remaining tires on the truck near the 14200 block of NE 119th Street. Despite the truck being immobilized, the driver continued attempting to drive away by revving the engine and spinning the wheels.
Additional deputies arrived and conducted a high-risk traffic stop, during which the driver was uncooperative and refused to exit the truck. Deputies utilized tools such as the Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and ballistic shields to monitor and communicate with the driver, giving them time, distance and shielding while attempting to de-escalate the situation.
Eventually, pepperball munitions were deployed inside the truck causing the driver to exit and be taken into custody without injury. A search warrant was obtained for a DUI blood draw before Melvern Raffelson was booked into the Clark County Jail on charges of resisting arrest and failure to stop/obey an officer. Additional DUI charges are pending the blood toxicology test results.
Information provided by Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
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