PORTLAND, Maine — A man who crashed a stolen police vehicle, survived gunfire from 11 police officers, and then drove off and crashed another police car — all while wearing handcuffs in a hospital gown — is mentally incompetent to appear before a judge at this time , his lawyer said. Friday.
The chaotic chain of events involving at least five law enforcement agencies began when Gary Porter, already wanted on a robbery warrant, was found unconscious in a chicken coop on Monday, arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation, the report said. Police.
Paris Police Chief Mike Dailey then took him to jail and had gotten out of the pickup to escort him inside when Porter somehow slipped his handcuffs from behind his back and got behind the wheel and drove away. The chief jumped onto the truck’s running board to stop him but was thrown to the ground, authorities said.
A chase ensued, joined by officers from Norway, Oxford and Paris, sheriff’s deputies and state police in a largely rural part of Maine about 48 miles (78 kilometers) from Portland, police said. Eventually, they installed spike mats that destroyed the tires and caused Porter to fall into a ditch.
Bystander video captured at least some of the gunfire at that moment: With his hands still in handcuffs, Porter circles the truck and jumps into another police vehicle in full view of officers. Shots ring out as he gets into the second cruiser with his back to the police and leaves. The video shows him swerving and driving away.
According to authorities, he crashed again a short distance away. By the end, eleven officers ultimately fired their weapons, and Porter was struck once by an officer’s bullet. The police do not want to say that any officers were hit.
Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss initially said, without providing more details, that “officers confronted Porter and gunfire was exchanged.” This is stated in a statement on behalf of all law enforcement agencies involved.
But the departments involved have not released key details about the confrontation, including whether Porter obtained or fired a weapon. They also did not provide information about the extent of the injuries. The Maine attorney general’s office said Friday that Porter was shot, treated and released from a hospital.
Porter’s first court appearance on two counts of robbery, assault on a police officer, evading custody, eluding police and violation of bail was scheduled for Wednesday, via videoconference from the Cumberland County Jail, but his defense said the medication he was given caused him to mumble and be unable to keep his eyes open. He was given another chance on Friday, but his lawyer Justin Leary said he was still not fit to stand before a judge.
“I don’t think he’s mentally equipped to continue at this point,” Leary said. A mental examination was ordered and Porter was scheduled to return to court on May 15.
The bystander who recorded the video of the roadside confrontation in Paris, Linda Marie Mercer, said she arrived at the scene and saw a truck in the ditch and numerous police vehicles next to it. She said she heard gunfire and saw officers shooting into the truck. She thought the person in the truck might have been killed; the officers seemed to relax.
But the video shows what happened next: Porter, still handcuffed and in a white hospital gown, ignored cries of “put your hands up!” and got into an SUV with the driver’s door wide open. More bullets flew as he drove away.
Eleven officers are on administrative leave after the shooting, authorities said. It was the largest number of police officers firing their weapons in a single incident in the state in recent history, said Brian MacMaster, a longtime investigator with the attorney general’s office who is now retired after a career that began in 1969 .
It is standard practice for officers in Maine to be placed on administrative leave after using deadly force. Officers are generally off work for about a month before they are evaluated and allowed to return, MacMaster said.