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Allegedly Drunk, Handcuffed Teen Drives Off In Cop Car
By
Scott Heins
Published Jan 2, 2017
Modified Jan 2, 2017
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By
Scott Heins
Published Jan 2, 2017
Modified Jan 2, 2017
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A North Carolina teenager, handcuffed and arrested for a DWI, reportedly managed to crawl into the front seat of an NYPD squad car and drive it 13 miles out of Manhattan and into Yonkers on New Year's Day. According to the Daily News, Dekota Locklear, 18, was pulled over at a drunken driving checkpoint on West 158th Street near the Henry Hudson Parkway at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Locklear's blood alcohol level was allegedly found to be .09—just above the .08 limit for drivers of legal drinking age.
Police sources told the Post Locklear was then put in the backseat of an idling cruiser with his hands cuffed behind him, and yet still managed to get into the front seat and take control of the vehicle. Officials told the tabloid that NYPD brass is considering disciplinary action against the officers initially responsible for arresting Locklear.
“Somebody’s getting suspended,” one high-ranking official told the tabloid. Another source said the sergeant had left Locklear in the cruiser while he hoped to make another arrest.
“It was cold out and they left the engine on because they didn’t want him to freeze,” the Post's source continued. “It was all under the sergeant’s orders and there weren’t enough people to do a checkpoint.”
Using GPS, the NYPD tracked Locklear on his joyride to Saw Mill River Road in Yonkers, where he allegedly ditched the vehicle and hid on the side of the road. The News reports officers in Yonkers used bloodhounds to discover him hiding near the abandoned cruiser.
Since being recaptured, Locklear has been charged with attempted assault of a police officer, grand larceny, reckless endangerment, aggravated drunken driving, escape and criminal mischief.
Tagged
dwi
escape
escaped prisoner
nypd
Washington Heights
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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