Students Witness Pursuit Suspect Crash Through Norman Elementary Playground

A teenager accused of barreling through a Norman elementary playground during a pursuit on Friday came close to a group of students. The Norman Police Department said the 17-year-old suspect was driving a stolen car. The teenager lost control as she drove past Kennedy Elementary where 5th grade classes were at recess.

A game of freeze tag abruptly came to an end for Karley Duren and her classmates.

“I was scared because I’ve never seen something happen like this,” said Karley Duren, a student. “So, I was freaking out, everyone was.”

The pursuit suspect crashed through the fence not far from a group of students. 

“She hit the fence down there and ran and jumped over the fence where the apartments were,” said Duren.

An officer tased the fleeing suspect and took her into custody. Norman police said the same suspect was reported earlier in the day driving recklessly through town.

“She was swerving off the road,” said Daniel McMinn, witness. “She had gone onto the grass and came back onto the road.”

Daniel McMinn said the driver barely missed him as he rode his bike to work on 12th Avenue. 

“If she wouldn’t have turned her wheel, she probably would have run me over,” said McMinn.

Other witnesses said they were thankful to see the large police response at the school. 

“It may have been a really bad situation, but it couldn’t have been handled better,” said Zacharey Mullins, witness.

This was the second time in two weeks the elementary has been impacted by crime in the area. The school was put on lockdown last Friday as police searched for a shooting suspect.

“When I got home, I told my mom every Friday something crazy happens,” said Duren.

Police said the same driver was involved in a hit-and-run crash before the pursuit. An investigation is still underway and so far, Norman police have not said where the car was taken. Police said no one was injured at the school.