January 1, Handcuffed Suspect Does the UNTHINKABLE After Officers Make One Fatal Mistake

Wyatt’s Take

• A handcuffed suspect slipped his restraints during a routine traffic stop and hijacked a Dallas police cruiser — with an officer trapped helpless in the back seat
• The officer deployed his Taser and even struck the suspect while being violently tossed around as the stolen cruiser swerved down the highway at 50 mph
• The suspect bailed out of the moving vehicle after a terrifying 30-second joyride, leaving the officer to lunge forward and prevent a catastrophic crash

What started as a routine traffic stop in Dallas turned into an absolute nightmare when a handcuffed suspect managed to slip his restraints, steal a police cruiser, and take off with an officer trapped in the back seat. Newly released body camera and dash camera footage captured every horrifying second.

Police say the chaos erupted around 5:35 p.m. on May 30 after two officers pulled over a vehicle in the 2300 block of South Marsalis Avenue. Stacey Huffman, 37, was arrested and placed in the back of the patrol car while handcuffed.

Video from inside the cruiser shows Huffman slipping his left hand out of the handcuffs before hiding his hands behind his back to conceal what he’d done. As officers started driving him to jail, Huffman allegedly tried to open the locked rear door and unbuckled his seatbelt.

Around 6:10 p.m., officers stopped on Interstate 35 to further restrain Huffman. That’s when everything went sideways.

As both officers stepped out of the vehicle, Huffman climbed into the driver’s seat and hit the gas. One officer managed to scramble into the back seat before the cruiser sped off.

The trapped officer deployed his Taser, but Huffman yanked the wires away, rendering it useless.

“Stop the car!”

The officer’s desperate shouts filled the patrol car as Huffman kept accelerating. Police say the officer then drew his duty weapon and struck Huffman on the side of the head, but the suspect didn’t stop.

Video shows the officer being violently thrown around the back seat as the stolen cruiser swerved wildly down the highway. Huffman was traveling at approximately 50 mph when he opened the driver’s door and jumped from the moving vehicle.

The patrol car kept rolling for roughly 1,000 feet. The entire incident lasted about 30 seconds — half a minute of pure chaos.

Immediately after Huffman bailed out, the officer lunged into the front seat and regained control of the cruiser, narrowly avoiding a crash that could have killed innocent drivers.

Huffman was knocked unconscious when he hit the pavement and was taken back into custody. Both Huffman and the officer were transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Huffman is expected to face a laundry list of charges including driving while license invalid, possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and escape from custody. The incident remains under investigation.

Wyatt Matters

This is what happens when criminals have zero respect for law and order. Our police officers put their lives on the line every single day, and this officer showed incredible courage preventing a tragedy while trapped in the back of his own cruiser. We need to support our men and women in blue and ensure dangerous criminals like this face the maximum consequences. No second chances for repeat offenders who think they’re above the law.