UCPD stop fleeing DUI suspect with tactical vehicle intervention

July 11, 2024 |

David Kyle Goddard, 53, was arrested Friday, June 21 by the Union City Police Department on charges of Driving Under the Influence and Attempting to Elude Police.
Goddard was pulled over, and after giving the UCPD officer his information, Goddard drove away from the stop.
Unfortunately for Goddard, the officer he ran from was the UCPD’s TVI (tactical vehicle intervention) instructor, Union City Police Sergeant Thomas Glosser.
Sergeant Glosser was dispatched near the intersection of Highway 81 and Highway 152 that Friday just before 6 p.m. in reference to a suspected impaired driver.
Dispatch told Sgt. Glosser that the suspected impaired driver had been driving “all over the road and had run several people off the road by crossing the center line on Highway 152.”
Sgt. Glosser said in his arrest affidavit, “As I was responding, dispatch informed me the driver of the truck had turned southbound on Highway 81 after hitting several vehicles at the intersection.”
Sgt. Glosser caught up to Goddard between Southwest 89th and Southwest 104th Street, on Highway 81. The officer pulled Goddard over, and while speaking with the suspect, Sgt. Glosser noticed “slurred, slow speech,” and that the suspect “was lethargic in nature.”
Goddard denied having anything to drink, but did state he was Type 2 diabetic.
The reporting party, who had been following, stopped behind the officer’s car to speak with Sgt. Glosser. The reporting party told Sgt. Glosser that Goddard had not hit any other vehicles, but did stop in the middle of the Hwy 81 & Hwy 152 intersection, after forcing three other cars off the road between Mustang and Union City.
Union City Fire Chief David Jones arrived on scene, and Sgt. Glosser asked Chief Jones to check Goddard’s blood-sugar. As they approached Goddard’s truck, Goddard pulled away and began driving southbound towards Minco. He did not make it far, but he did provide a few scares in his alleged attempt to flee.
Sgt. Glosser said in his report, “I got back inside my vehicle and activated my audible siren as I pursued him. Goddard then began to increase speed as he approached other motor vehicles on Hwy 81. He got within feet of a small vehicle, nearly striking the vehicle, causing it to swerve to the shoulder to avoid collision before he passed the small vehicle and a semi in the opposing lane of travel. During his attempt to pass the series of vehicles, he swerved into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing an oncoming pickup truck. Goddard also crossed the center line as opposing traffic was traveling past him and was unable to maintain a single lane of travel. I believed that if I did not intervene, and stop Goddard from driving, he was going to cause a head-on collision on Highway 81. I conducted a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) in a safe location, causing Goddard to enter the field on the west side of Highway 81, approximately one mile south of the initial traffic stop. Goddard was detained for eluding and suspicion of driving under the influence. I had Chief Jones check Goddard’s blood sugar and he reported to me that it was 138, which is within normal range.”
While searching Goddard’s vehicle, Sgt. Glosser found a prescription bottle of generic Ambien that had been dispensed just a few hours prior to the stop. Out of the thirty 12.5-milligram tablets that were given to Goddard, six were missing. The directions were to take one per night before going to sleep.
Nobody was injured during the TVI, and neither Goddard’s truck nor Sgt. Glosser’s patrol unit had even a scratch.
Union City Police Chief Adam Taylor commended Sgt. Glosser’s picture-perfect TVI.
“He’s a driving instructor, Thomas Glosser,” the chief said. “He’s been with us since December of 2021. He was at El Reno before. There’s no damage to the truck, nothing. He’s a highly skilled officer. Just shows, when you don’t let the stress get to you and you just perform, that everything is smooth. He didn’t let the emotions get to him and he handled it extremely professionally. Textbook TVI, no damage to police car or the suspect’s car.”