A trucker’s reckless driving was caught on camera in Oklahoma on Wednesday, and police say the erratic behavior can likely be attributed to methamphetamine.
The incident happened on Wednesday, August 18th, but police did not release the information until Thursday, August 19th.
According to Oklahoma News 4, a motorist was driving along the Turner Turnpike in Oklahoma when he encountered a semi truck swerving, running other trucks off the road, and straddling lanes. The motorist then contacted police and began filming the erratic behavior.
The video begins somewhere near Tulsa and ends in Stroud – a full 45 minutes of dangerous driving.
“This is something I have never seen in my life,” says the man filming in the video. “Pull this a**hole over. I am tired of this.”
The truck driver, Gilberto Ortiz, can be seen weaving between lanes, straddling lanes, and generally driving in a dangerous manner.
“What the hell is this? It started in Tulsa. He was trying to run people off the road in Tulsa. He almost hit like three other trucks,” continues the filming motorist. “He’s going to jail.”
Police attempted to pull the trucker over, but the driver refused to stop, so stop sticks were deployed. When the rig was finally forced to come to a stop, officers approached the truck with guns drawn. Thankfully, police were able to take Ortiz into custody without further incident.
“He had multiple chances to stop his vehicle in a safe area. He refused to do so,” Trooper Hargus said. “This could’ve been a lot worse.”
Ortiz is now being held in the Lincoln County Jail and is facing numerous traffic and drug charges. Officers say that Ortiz had swallowed methamphetamine prior to driving, which is what led to the reckless behavior.