Suspect in custody after video recorded him hopping into a police cruiser amid gunfire

OXFORD, Maine (AP) — A motorist captured video of a man in handcuffs appearing to steal a police cruiser Monday amid what seemed to be a hail of gunfire from officers in western Maine.

The man was dressed in white, possibly in a hospital robe, when he fled from a pickup truck that had crashed in a ditch in Oxford, hopped into the police cruiser and drove away as local police fired shots, said Linda Marie Mercer, who encountered police vehicles blocking the road and began filming the scene with her cellphone.

Oxford County Sheriff Christopher Wainwright told the Sun Journal newspaper that the suspect was taken into custody following an officer-involved shooting and there was no threat to the public.

Police declined to provided more details about the incident to The Associated Press. There were multiple reports of roads closures and a chaotic scene in the area.

Mercer said there were two volleys of gunfire — one when the suspect was inside the pickup truck, and again when he drove away.

“The door of the truck was open most of the time. You could see him. They kept telling him to put his hands up,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, he stands up, runs right out of the ditch, and climbs right into the police vehicle.”

Mercer, a mobile notary public, said she continued to an appointment after the incident. “It was my most interesting excuse for being late, but I had video proof,” she said.