PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man in Maine stole a police cruiser on Monday before crashing, exchanging gunfire with police and stealing another police vehicle in a chase that created a chaotic scene in a mostly rural part of the state, police said.
Police said the man, who is unhoused, was being transported to a jail by Paris police when he was able to steal a police cruiser while handcuffed. He then crashed on Route 117 in Paris, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) north of Portland, police said.
Officers confronted the man and gunfire was exchanged, police said. The man was struck but fled the scene and stole an Oxford County Sheriff’s Office police vehicle, which he crashed up the road, police said. He was then taken into custody and faces numerous charges.
The man “was taken into custody and treated at a local hospital,” police said. It was unclear on Monday if the man had retained a lawyer.
There were multiple reports of roads closures in the area. A motorist captured video of the man in handcuffs appearing to steal the police cruiser Monday amid the exchange of gunfire.
The man was dressed in white, possibly in a hospital robe, when he fled from a vehicle that had crashed in a ditch, said Linda Marie Mercer, who encountered police vehicles blocking the road and began filming the scene with her cellphone.
Mercer said there were two volleys of gunfire — one when the suspect was inside the vehicle, and again when he drove away.
“The door of the truck was open most of the time. You could see him. They kept telling him to put his hands up,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, he stands up, runs right out of the ditch, and climbs right into the police vehicle.”
Mercer, a mobile notary public, said she continued to an appointment after the incident. “It was my most interesting excuse for being late, but I had video proof,” she said.
The Office of the Attorney General will investigate law enforcement’s use of force, police said. Police also said all officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
