A high-speed chase in Augusta County on Friday ended with a deputy firing shots at a suspect's pickup truck.
On Monday, the sheriff's office praised that cop, saying his quick action may have saved lives. Only three times in the past decade has an Augusta County sheriff's deputy pulled the trigger on a firearm, as a use of force. That action is reserved for times when life and limb are in danger.
The department says Friday's near-ramming of a deputy was certainly one of those times. On a routine investigation, Augusta deputies spotted a pickup truck driven by 30-year-old larceny suspect Clint Wayne Tribble.
Captain Glen Hanger of the Augusta County Sheriff's Office said, "Upon Tribble seeing the police car - which was a marked car county unit - he sped from speeds of 40 miles an hour up to about 80."
Investigator Joey Good, riding shotgun, described how the four mile pursuit nearly ended in a crash. "He jammed on the brakes hard. We had to jam on our brakes hard. Twice he had put his hands up in the air and acted like he was going to stop. Pulled off the side of the road. And then sped off again," explained Good.
But soon after, the sheriff's office says Tribble got the truck stuck in a ditch. Good and Deputy Donald Smith thought the pursuit was over. Hanger said, "Deputy Good approached the vehicle from the front... Gun drawn. Giving verbal commands that Tribble was under arrest, exit the vehicle."
Good said he was "screaming at him actually, to get out of the car. I was probably three feet away from the front bumper when I heard the engine race, saw the vehicle move. I got out of the way."
At the same time, Smith was at the driver's side of the pickup, and fired shots into the left-rear tire. That kept the truck from approaching dangerous speeds again, and moments later, Tribble surrendered.
The sheriff's office says Smith's decision to pull the trigger was an "excellent choice." "We commend him for the actions that he took that potentially saved other lives," said Hanger.
Clint Tribble is being held in the Middle River Regional Jail, and will have a preliminary hearing in April. He faces numerous charges in Staunton and Augusta County, including attempted murder of a law-enforcement officer. That alone carries a possible life sentence.
Clint Tribble
