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Published On: 3/23/17

Wild multi-state, multi-car chase

By: Katie Tabeling, Staff Writer via Bayside Gazette

(March 23, 2017) A Dorchester County man is in critical condition in Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware after being shot by police following a break-in at a local Realtor’s home and a subsequent car chase that ended in Ocean View, Delaware last Saturday.
Although the identity of the shooter has not been released pending an investigation, Ocean View Police and Worcester County Sheriffs shot at Troy Lee Short, 31, of Hurlock, Maryland after he tried to ram on-foot officers with the stolen Infiniti SUV.
Bethany Drew with Hileman Real Estate in Ocean Pines said that the black SUV was stolen from her driveway at her Bishopville area home. She said a man entered her house while she, her husband, Chris Squires, and guests were inside.
“We always keep the door locked, but a guest went out to his car to get something. He came back and went to play pool with my husband upstairs, and I guess he didn’t lock the door,” Drew said. “I can’t even believe it.”
Around 8:10 p.m. on March 18, a Worcester County Sheriff’s deputy spotted Short driving a Chevrolet truck erratically around Eighth Street in Ocean City. When the deputy attempted to stop the truck, Short fled, according to press releases.
“His driving behavior – failing to stay within the lines and maintain a speed – indicates that he was under the influence,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Ed Schreier said.
Short drove to the Berlin area, where he crashed the truck near Friendship Road. Then he allegedly stole another vehicle and drove it to Route 90, where he abandoned it near Route 575.
At that point, a K-9 team was called in and directed police to Worcester Highway, where they found the second stolen car. Short had stolen a third car at that time and drove it to St. Martin’s Neck Road in Bishopville, where he abandoned it.
Another K-9 search led deputies to a nearby neighborhood, where Short allegedly broke into Drew’s home at around 10 p.m.
 “I went to the bathroom, and I heard him walking around my closet. I assumed it was our guest, because the footsteps were not my husband’s,” Drew said. “I said, ‘I’m in here,’ and they turned away and didn’t say anything.”
When she left the bathroom, she saw her SUV back out of the driveway quickly. Drew noticed that her pocketbook was missing, and told Squires her car had been stolen. While Drew called 911, Squires got into his car and gave chase, but was stopped by the police presence at St. Martin’s Neck Road.
Deputies saw Short drive away in the black SUV and unsuccessfully attempted to stop him as he fled to Delaware. A deputy remained in pursuit and was joined by an Ocean View Police officer as the car drove down Burbage Road, crossed over Windmill Drive and onto Pine Grove Lane, which is a dead-end road.
Police said Short stopped the car at the dead-end, then accelerated backwards into the front the Ocean View police patrol vehicle, pushing it off the road. The officer was inside the car at the time.
The SUV continued backing up at high speeds, almost striking the sheriff’s vehicle and smashing into a mailbox.
Short then reportedly drove the SUV forward, entered an empty lot, turned around and drove toward the deputy and the Ocean View officer, who were out of their vehicles. The police yelled for Short to stop, according to press releases. Both officers fired multiple rounds at the SUV before Short came to a stop in a driveway on Pine Grove Lane.
Short was taken to Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Delaware with one or more gunshot wounds and was later transferred to Christiana Hospital.
“He’s not charged at this time,” Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin said. “Given the situation at the hospital, there’s no rush to do it. Hopefully, if the gentleman recovers, then we can move forward.”
Schreier said that if Short recovers, the Worcester County Sherriff’s office would file charges.
The Ocean View officer was also taken to Beebe Healthcare and treated for minor crash-related injuries. His patrol car was totaled.
“The crash was very horrific. There was catastrophic damage to its front-end,” McLaughlin said.
The officer is on administrative leave, while Delaware State Police investigate the incident.
It took two hours before police told Drew what happened to her SUV, but she discovered enough information to figure out what happened.
“I asked my son to put it on Facebook, and that it [her car] had vanity plates that read PO2team,” she said, referencing the Power of Two Team group she works with through Hileman Real Estate. “Very quickly people said that it was one of the three cars stolen and used in a high-speed chase.”
While Drew’s damaged SUV was towed away by police, she’s grateful that it was only her car that was damaged.
“This guy must have been crazed. There were cops everywhere, so he must have been in the closet looking for a place to hide,” she said. “God was watching.”

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