OKC Man Catches Auto Burglars, Helps Chase Them Down

<p>An&nbsp;Oklahoma City man is spreading the word&nbsp;about vehicle break-ins after meeting his thieves face to face.</p>

Wednesday, February 14th 2018, 11:02 pm



An Oklahoma City man is spreading the word about vehicle break-ins after meeting his thieves face to face.

Early Tuesday morning, Joe Turner said his truck alarm woke him up. He looked outside and saw a pickup truck that was parked next to his vehicle speed away down the street.

“I came out with my gun," Turner said. "They floored it and took off and I just jumped in my truck and tried to follow."

Armed with a shotgun, Turner followed the pickup but lost them in the neighborhood. Soon, he was pulled over by police. They had been tipped off about activity in the area from someone else.

“Oklahoma City pulled me over because they were just looking for a truck,” Turner said, "and I gave them the description of the truck they were looking for."

Soon, police located the suspect vehicle with two men inside, 26-year old Steven Mead and 43-year old Mickly McDaniel. Officers say they found a $600 toolbox that came from the back of Turner’s truck and some other merchandise that appears to have come from other vehicles.

However, investigators soon noticed an empty gun holster on Mead and search the area for a gun. They found a revolver in the street near 93rd and Western. When asked about the weapon, officers said Mead gave himself away.

“The suspect mentioned that a .357 would not fit in his holster,” says Master Sergeant Gary Knight of Oklahoma City Police Department, "so that couldn't be his gun. The problem with that was nobody had told him what caliber the gun was."

Turns out Mead has a previous felony, and an outstanding warrant out of McClain County. The truck the two suspects were in has also been impounded, and both have been booked on complaints of auto burglary and receiving and concealing stolen property. Mead has an additional complaint of possession of a firearm.

Turner is sick of these criminals breaking in. Last Summer, he said the ripped off $4,000 worth of tools from his truck. Now, he puts GPS trackers on all his property.

“It's really aggravating to see everything gone,” Turner said. "It's happened several times to several of us here."

As for the other items found in the suspects' truck, police say they have yet to find the owners.

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