Police: Theft suspect stole two police vehicles in handcuffs and survived being shot by eleven officers

By PATRICK WHITTLE and DAVID SHARP

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man who crashed a stolen police vehicle, survived gunfire from 11 officers and then drove off and crashed another patrol car — all while wearing handcuffs in a hospital gown — is mentally unsound able to appear before a man judge at the moment, his lawyer said on Friday.

The chaotic chain of events involving at least five law enforcement agencies began when Gary Porter, who was already wanted on a warrant for theft, was found passed out in a chicken coop on Monday, arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation, the said Police with.

Paris Police Chief Mike Dailey then took him to jail and had gotten out of the pickup to escort him inside when Porter somehow pulled his handcuffs from behind his back, got into the driver’s seat and drove off. The chief jumped on the truck’s running board to stop it but was thrown to the ground, authorities said.

A chase ensued that included officers from Norway, Oxford and Paris, sheriff’s deputies and state police in a mostly rural part of Maine about 48 miles from Portland, police said. Eventually they deployed spike mats, which blew out the tires and sent Porter crashing into a ditch.

Bystander video captured at least part of the shooting at that point: Porter, his hands still in handcuffs, circled the truck and jumped into another police vehicle as officers watched. Shots ring out as he climbs into the second patrol car with his back to the police and drives off again. The video shows him swerving and driving away.

Authorities said he crashed again a short distance from there. In the end, eleven officers ended up firing their weapons and Porter was hit once by an officer’s bullet. Police did not say officers were hit.

Maine State Police spokesman Shannon Moss initially said, without providing further details, that “officers confronted Porter and an exchange of gunfire ensued,” according to a statement on behalf of all law enforcement agencies involved.

However, authorities involved did not release key details of the confrontation, including whether Porter obtained a weapon or fired it. They also did not provide any information about the extent of the injuries. The Maine Attorney General’s Office said Friday that Porter was shot, treated and released from a hospital.

Porter’s initial court appearance on two counts of theft, assault on a police officer, escaping custody, fleeing police and violating bail was scheduled for Wednesday via videoconference at the Cumberland County Jail, but his defense said the drugs , which were given to him, made him sick, murmurs and cannot keep his eyes open. He had another opportunity Friday, but his attorney, Justin Leary, said he was still unable to appear before a judge.

“I don’t think he’s mentally fit to continue right now,” Leary said. A mental evaluation was requested and Porter was scheduled to return to court on May 15.

The bystander who captured the video of the street confrontation in Paris, Linda Marie Mercer, said she arrived at the scene and saw a truck in the ditch and numerous police vehicles nearby. She said she heard gunshots and saw officers firing into the truck. She thought the person in the truck might have been killed – the officers seemed to relax.

But the video shows what happened next: Porter, still handcuffed and wearing a white hospital gown, ignored shouts of “Hands up!” and climbed into an SUV with the driver’s door wide open. As he drove away, more bullets flew.

Eleven officers were on vacation after the shooting, authorities said. It was the largest number of police officers to fire their weapons in a single incident in the state in recent memory, said Brian MacMaster, a longtime investigator for the attorney general’s office who is now retired after a career that began in 1969.

In Maine, it is common for officers to be placed on leave after using deadly force. MacMaster said officers are typically off duty for about a month before they are evaluated and allowed to return.