Gunfire ends 90-minute police pursuit of trucker
Pictures of truck:
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SIDNEY, Shelby County — A trucker at the wheel of his tanker had to be chased down by law officers from three counties Friday, Sept. 18, after he was accused of trying to run over his wife during a domestic dispute.
Alan Branscum, 43, was stopped sometime after 6:30 p.m. when two Shelby County sheriff’s deputies fired their weapons into the radiator of his vehicle during the 90-minute chase.
Friday night, Branscum was being held in the Shelby County Jail.
The search for Branscum began Friday morning on suspicion of attempted murder, Sidney police Chief Kevin Gessler said.
An initial investigation showed that during an assault on 38-year-old Mary Branscum, he drove his car into a house while attempting to run her over, Gessler said. She was treated and released.
Branscum then drove to his employer and picked up his 2005 white Freightliner tanker truck and drove off.
At 5:33 p.m., the tanker, built to hold flour, was spotted parked on Frazier Guy Road just north of McCloskey School Road. Moments later, officers spotted Branscum driving the cab portion of the rig.
The pursuit, which reached speeds of up to 60 mph, continued on Court Street and eventually to Ohio 47 headed toward Interstate 75. Branscum continued on 47 to Darke County and onto Versailles, police said.
With law officers on his tail, Branscum drove around several roads and ended up back on Ohio 47 pointed toward Shelby County.
Officers from several agencies were able to deploy “Stop Sticks” that punctured some of the tires on Branscum’s rig. But, Gessler said, the trucker kept going, continuing toward Logan County on Ohio 29 before reversing direction to head toward Sidney.
Then, Gessler said, “a decision was made to attempt to disable the vehicle through the use of gunfire to strike the radiator and disable the vehicle.”
That did the trick, and the vehicle sputtered to a halt in the area of Pasco Montra Road near Ohio 706.
Shelby County Sheriff Dean Kimpel said, “although a very stressful situation, all officers acted professionally and within policy.”
Gessler said the episode involved 10 law enforcement agencies and four emergency dispatch centers.
“All involved utilized a great deal of common sense and restraint,” he said.
The agencies involved included sheriff’s offices in Shelby, Logan and Darke counties, the Ohio Highway Patrol and police from Sidney, Russia, Versailles, Minster, Ft. Loramie and Anna.
By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer
Gunfire ends 90-minute police pursuit of trucker
