Troopers Deploy Tire Spike To End Stolen Jeep Chase On I-84
Officers seized oxycodone and fentanyl from the vehicle after three Richmond residents fled on foot in Southeast.
By Julian Schulz ·
New York State Police ended a high-speed pursuit on Interstate 84 by deploying a tire deflation device, forcing a stolen Jeep to a stop in the Town of Southeast. The vehicle, which had evaded a traffic stop in Wappingers Falls, was disabled near mile marker 68 early Thursday morning.
The incident began at approximately 1:15 a.m. when Village of Wappingers Falls police requested assistance from state troopers stationed in East Fishkill. The Jeep failed to comply with the initial stop, initiating an eastbound chase along I-84. A second state police unit located the vehicle and activated the spike strip near mile marker 65. Despite the punctured tires, the Jeep continued moving east before finally becoming inoperable roughly three miles later.
Three occupants abandoned the vehicle and ran into the surrounding woods. Officers secured all three individuals shortly after their flight. The suspects were identified as Adonis Tahmiek Rodriguez, 23; Rasheem Laquinn Evans, 19; and Shane D. Degroat. All three men reside in Richmond, New York, a town located in the Adirondack region north of the incident site.
State troopers inventoried the Jeep prior to impounding it and discovered pills of oxycodone and fentanyl inside the vehicle. The presence of both opioids and the narcotic painkiller suggests the stolen vehicle may have been used for transport or storage of drugs, adding a public health dimension to the criminal case. The discovery prompted felony charges for each suspect regarding controlled substances.
Rodriguez faces the most extensive list of charges, including felony possession of stolen property, unlawful fleeing, reckless endangerment, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Evans was charged with felony possession of stolen property, obstruction, and possession of controlled substances. Degroat faced similar charges, with the addition of false personation and resisting arrest. The specific inclusion of false personation for Degroat indicates he likely provided an incorrect identity to authorities during the stop or subsequent questioning.
The three men were arraigned in the Town of Southeast Court on Friday. Judge remanded Degroat to Putnam County Jail without bail due to the severity of his charges. Rodriguez and Evans were released on their own recognizance. All three defendants are scheduled to return to court on December 10 at 2 p.m. for their next hearing.
State Police cited case number NY2601368988 for the investigation. They acknowledged assistance from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the Wappingers Falls Police Department. The tire deflation device, a standard traffic enforcement tool, proved effective in terminating the chase without a collision, a method increasingly relied upon by troopers to manage high-speed pursuits on major interstates.
