NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New video shows a long police chase that ended with the suspect’s minivan flipping after police bumped him off the highway. “He almost hit a vehicle head-on, just swerved out of the way,” one officer is heard saying on lapel video.
On August 28, the suspect later identified as Harrison McNeely of Indiana was making a run for it east of Springer, New Mexico. Police were after him after getting reports of reckless driving on I-25 near Santa Fe. According to the criminal complaint, McNeely had abruptly stopped in the fast lane, was flipping people off, and then tailgated and almost ran the people who reported him off the road.
When officers caught up to him near Las Vegas, McNeely led them on a chase for an hour—reaching speeds up to 120 mph. After turning off in Springer and heading down Highway 56, video shows him swerving into oncoming traffic—coming within feet of hitting other cars head-on. State police had seen enough.
McNeely made two abrupt stops, and police dashboard camera shows him trying to get away one last time before officers eventually use a PIT maneuver to ram his car off the road. After he’s in cuffs, McNeely’s apologetic.
“I’m sorry, you know. I am,” McNeely can be heard saying. According to lapel video, dispatchers say McNeely had been on the phone with 9-1-1 saying he could pull over, but would not. Dispatchers can also be heard saying McNeely had said he wanted to ‘end himself’ because he thought he was being followed.
McNeely claims he has Bipolar Disorder and that government officials have been following him across the country. “Why didn’t you stop bro?” an officer can be heard asking. “I don’t trust anyone. Not even my own family,” McNeely responds.
Harrison McNeely is still behind bars and is charged with nine counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for endangering or threatening nine different people on the road. He was also charged for the chase and reckless driving.
