Bodycam shows overdose victim stealing a police cruiser after he was revived
After four days on the run, a man is now behind bars after reportedly stealing a Columbus police cruiser and taking it on a joy ride moments after officers saved his life with Naloxone. (WSYX/WTTE)
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After four days on the run, a man is now behind bars after reportedly stealing a Columbus police cruiser and taking it on a joy ride moments after officers saved his life with Naloxone.
Jeremy Davis, 25, went before a judge for the first time Thursday morning on charges he stole the cruiser February 8th. He turned himself in to police on February 12.
It all happened when officers responded to a 911 call about a man possibly dying of a drug overdose. Bodycam video released by Columbus police shows the father of Davis' girlfriend, Robert Stanley, giving him chest compressions when officers arrive at the home. One of the officers gives him a shot of Naloxone to counter the overdose, and Davis suddenly wakes up.
“Jeremy you were dead, bro,” his girlfriend is heard screaming on the video.
Davis looked incoherent and surprised to see so many first responders in the house helping him. As they took him to get checked out in a responding ambulance, Officer Sullivan moved his cruiser for the medics and left his keys in the ignition. Davis told medics he may have taken fentanyl and that's when the other officer finds out Davis has an active warrant for his arrest on a theft charge.
"I reach out, and he hits me, and he takes off running,” that officer said in the body camera video. Then, Davis jumps in Officer Sullivan's cruiser and takes off. All of this happening while Officer Sullivan has no idea it was stolen until another woman on the scene tells them what happened.
“He’s not in a cop car because there’s a cruiser, there’s a cruiser,” Officer Sullivan stated but then walks out of the home and notices his cruiser is missing.
Police chased Davis for about five minutes before he ditched the cruiser and disappeared. Officers went door-to-door and checked neighbors’ homes to see if he was hiding there, but were unable to find him. He was on the run for four days until he finally turned himself in.
On February 14th he faced a judge where prosecutors called him a flight risk, saying he has a long criminal history and violated his parole. The judge set his bond at $50,000.
Davis is scheduled to be back in court on February 22nd.
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