Okmulgee County sheriff’s deputies are looking for one of several individuals involved in a theft, chase and shootout Friday afternoon.
According to sheriff Eddy Rice, the incident started when an individual went to a pasture to check on some cattle.
“He found the lock on his gate cut and saw a couple of vehicles are the end of the pasture,” the sheriff said. “When he approached them, the individuals started shooting at him then drove away pulling a couple of trailers.”
The sheriff said a chase started from the area around Loblolly Road with shots being fired as the vehicles headed back to Henryetta.
“The two vehicles split up and one wound up in a parking lot near the New Lake Apartments,” Rice said. Both front tires on the truck were shot out.
Rice went on to say they have a suspect in one of the vehicles and are searching for him now.
”We are getting a lot of thefts out in the county,” Rice said, “and want to caution anyone coming upon a situation like this to back away and call 911.” He pointed out that a call to the sheriff’s emergency line was not made until the chase was over.
“The citizen who came upon these criminals was fortunate in that he was not harmed. We want everyone to be safe and report any suspicious activity immediately.”