Officials: N.C. Police Handled Chase Properly

Police said they were exposed to new elements of law enforcement when they chased Roberto Campos, 25, of Florida, from North Carolina over the Virginia state line.

Campos kidnapped former girlfriend Lourdes Gusman and their two children about 5 p.m. Monday, initiating a chase involving the Raleigh police, highway patrol officers and a SWAT team.

N.C. police forces did not want to employ the issue of "stop sticks" or "stingers" until it became dark -- thus they allowed Virginia police to take over when the truck crossed the state line.

Sgt. Everett Clendenin, public information officer for the N.C. Highway Patrol, said stop sticks are used to puncture tires as well as ensure the safety of other drivers in a high-speed chase.

Maj. J.A. Kramer of the Raleigh police said they followed typical procedures like in any other chase.

"We were in contact with the Virginia police the whole time, and we needed to stop the vehicle for safety reasons," Kramer said.

He said that deciding when and where to stop a vehicle in a chase is a case-by-case decision and that it depends on both the factors involved and the safety of other drivers.

Public Information Officer Larry Hill of the Tidewater regional office of Virginia's Department of Affairs said Campos was randomly shooting at police cars and motorists. With congested traffic ahead, helicopter dispatchers warned police of the dangers the errant shots could cause to other drivers.

Clendenin said most cases usually deal with speed violators who don't want to stop rather than hostage situations.

"We've never been faced with these elements in the past," he said.

Hill said the police used the stop sticks to halt the truck when Campos arrived in Brunswick County, Va.

"Troopers decide whether to use stingers based on when we believe it's necessary to cease the pursuit," Hill said.

"Whether he ran out of gas or was stopped by police force, there is no doubt that he would have still shot himself and his former girlfriend."

Ada Gregory, co-director of the Durham Crisis Center, said police followed procedure correctly because the incident already had the potential to turn violent and they had to stop the vehicle.

"When you have a suspect that's armed, the best thing they can do is stop the vehicle and ensure safety of others, which they did," Gregory said.

Despite public debates, Clendenin said the N.C. forces did the best they could to ensure the safety of the passers-by and the hostage in Monday's chase.

But he said the general public doesn't know enough about chases or the factors involved to make the assumption.

Because the circumstances in Monday's chase were new to the officers, Clendenin said it would offer experience in handling situations like this in the future.

"It's a good practice to evaluate what you do to learn more and improve."

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.