Officer Shot During High-Speed Chase, Improvised Tourniquet Used

Summary

This incredible police bodycam footage captures a dangerous high-speed pursuit that nearly ended in tragedy. The video shows Officer Lowry pulling over a speeding truck, only to discover a loaded firearm. The situation escalates when the driver, Daniel Bowen Payne, flees, leading officers on a 38-minute chase covering nearly 33 miles at speeds averaging 90 mph. The full video is absolutely worth watching for its raw intensity and the remarkable actions of the responding officers. During the pursuit, Chief Helmick was shot twice by Payne, once in the abdomen and again in the upper left thigh, fracturing his femur. In a testament to quick thinking and resourcefulness, officers used a dog collar as an improvised tourniquet when one wasn't immediately available, a crucial action that likely saved Helmick's life as he had lost over a quarter of his blood. After a 19-day hospitalization, Chief Helmick, who had survived a previous high-speed incident where a deer went through his windshield, even wrote his own public release report from his hospital bed. Payne eventually crashed his vehicle and was apprehended. The legal proceedings that followed saw multiple defense motions denied, and over two and a half years later, Payne accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm at a police officer and receiving a 28.5-year prison sentence, requiring him to serve at least 85% of it.