Nonprofit Group Commends Logan County Deputy For Issuing Lifesaving Alert During High-Speed Chase

Logan County’s new emergency manager and sheriff deputy is being commended for his lifesaving work during a dangerous high-speed police chase Friday morning.

Steven Haga helped get parents and children, who were selling fireworks roadside for the nonprofit Oklahoma Icons, to safety at the Highway 33 and Highway 74 intersection as a chase suspect sped through.

It was around 9 a.m. when law enforcement attempted to pull over a Chevrolet Cobalt near the intersection of W. College Ave. and N. Division St. in Guthrie.

Logan County Sheriff Damon Devereaux said the Chevrolet Cobalt had a tinted license plate cover which made it difficult to be read.

Devereaux said the suspect would not pull over and began a high-speed chase.

The chase, according to scanner traffic, reached speeds in excess of 115 mph.

The suspect led law enforcement towards the intersection where the Oklahoma Icons were selling fireworks.

“We look up and the emergency response team from Logan County is pulling up fast,” said Brad Chatman, President of the Oklahoma Icons. “He’s on the loudspeaker saying ‘Hey, get everyone out of the way.’”

The voice on the loudspeaker was Haga.

Haga told News 9 he was working from home when he heard the suspect approaching the fireworks stand and immediately jumped into action.

“There are kids who have been out here for the past couple weeks doing fundraisers at a fireworks stand, so my first thing was their safety and getting them out of the road before the pursuit got to them,” said Haga.

Haga’s actions of leaving home paid off. It gave the group almost a minute’s warning to get to safety.

The suspect blew through the intersection at around 60 mph.

“The fact that he (Haga) got out of his house, came to warn us beforehand, because he had seen us on the corner to get all the kids to safety, was awesome,” said Chatman.

The kids are back to work and are counting blessings while they do so.

“It was great to know that our law enforcement, they’re always doing their job even when you don’t expect them to be doing it,” said Chatman.

Sheriff deputies were able to safely perform a TVI maneuver and arrest the suspect who had warrants out for their arrest.

The Oklahoma Icons will be at the Highway 33 and Highway 74 intersection until 9 p.m. leading up to July 4.

Oklahoma Icons works to help get metro kids involved in sports such as football, basketball, baseball and cheerleading. Fundraising efforts, according to its president, help eliminate overhead costs for banquets and gear.