Tahlequah Police Release Bodycam Video Of Chase, Officer-Involved Shooting

Body cam footage shows the chase and moments leading to a police shooting in Tahlequah.

The suspect, 21-year-old Darian Daniels, was hit, but not seriously hurt, and is in the Cherokee County Jail.

The footage shows the progression from police on a suspicious vehicle call to a shooting on the side of the road.

A Tahlequah police officer thought he was about to be run over when he fired at a man in a truck.

The suspect, 21-year-old Darian Daniels, was hit once and survived.

7/31/2018 Related Story: Tahlequah Police Officer Shoots, Wounds Man After Chase

Tahlequah Police Chief Nate King said the officer was right to fire.

“Mr. Daniels went off the roadway, crashed. They thought he was disabled. When they got out of the vehicles, he puts it in reverse and starts back towards them," King said.

Police responded to a suspicious person call at an apartment complex just after midnight. The chief said when officers arrived, the suspect took off in a truck. The chase went across town on Allen Road, hitting 80 mph, before turning south on the bypass to where the truck wrecked - that's when the truck backs up and the officer fires.

“So, he's 19-20 feet away from this truck, moving towards him, he’s already tried to wreck him. I think I would feel in danger if I was in that same situation," said King.

Daniels was treated for a minor gunshot wound before being booked into jail.

The chief said Daniels has two previous arrests for public intoxication and appeared intoxicated after the chase.

The officer who fired shots, Officer Bronson McNiel, is on administrative leave while the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigates the shooting.

“He didn't empty his magazine. When the truck became disabled, when it quit moving backward, he quit shooting,” said King.

Tahlequah Police said the OSBI will handle everything with the investigation while they, internally, will review the shooting for any possible violations of policy.