A 25-year-old man is facing multiple charges after a 110 mph chase down Interstate 40 in Beckham County ended with his gray Toyota Corolla flipped onto its roof near mile marker 20. Zachary David Roehr was taken into custody around 9:55 a.m. on October 26, after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper used a tactical vehicle intervention to stop him.
According to a probable-cause affidavit cited by thepennynews.com, the trooper clocked Roehr's Corolla doing 110 mph in a posted 75 mph zone as he drove eastbound through Beckham County. The trooper activated emergency lights near mile marker 16 and switched on a siren when Roehr showed no sign of slowing down, with the pursuit beginning at roughly 9:50 a.m.
Rather than pull over, the affidavit says Roehr kept the Corolla at around 110 mph while making hand gestures out the window. At one point, the vehicle nearly rear-ended a truck, missing it by only a few feet, according to the affidavit's account relayed by the same outlet. The trooper also reported that Roehr moved in behind two vehicles in the right lane and forced them onto the shoulder, even though the left lane was open.
Tactical Stop Ends the Chase Near Mile Marker 20
The pursuit came to a halt near mile marker 20, where the trooper deployed a tactical vehicle intervention. The maneuver sent the Corolla off the roadway, and it overturned onto its roof. Roehr, the car's only occupant, had already climbed out by the time the trooper approached, per the affidavit, and he was taken into custody moments later.
Roehr told the trooper he was not hurt but complained of debris in his eye. Emergency medical personnel examined him at the scene and flushed the eye before he was transported to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City. He was later booked into the Beckham County jail after being medically cleared.
Trooper Cites Signs of Impairment
During the stop, the trooper reported smelling alcohol on Roehr's breath and person and described his speech and behavior as erratic, with dilated pupils. Roehr acknowledged drinking in the car before the pursuit, according to the affidavit, and agreed to a blood test; blood samples were later collected at the Elk City hospital.
The affidavit lists several alleged offenses: felony attempting to elude a peace officer while endangering another person, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and speeding 31 to 35 mph over the posted limit. It was filed October 28, and a judge found probable cause for Roehr's arrest the day before, on October 27, setting bond at $50,000. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Roehr is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Not the Only Recent I-40 Chase in Beckham County
This is not an isolated incident for the stretch of interstate running through the county. In a separate pursuit, KECO 96.5FM reported that law enforcement stopped a speeding vehicle driven by two juveniles on a Sunday morning, after motorists reported a car running close to 100 mph and leaving the roadway somewhere between Sayre and Elk City. Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning said that chase ended without injuries after deputies brought the car to a stop near mile marker 31 or 32; the passenger was released to family while the driver was taken to a hospital for testing before being booked into juvenile detention.
The use of tactical vehicle interventions by Oklahoma troopers has drawn broader scrutiny in recent years. Tulsa World reported that data provided by Service Oklahoma in response to an open-records request showed 581 legal interventions in 507 cases for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol between 2016 and 2022, compared with 53 legal interventions in 49 cases for the next-closest agency, while cautioning that the raw data cannot establish that every intervention was an OHP TVI. That same reporting found troopers intentionally struck vehicles in five high-speed chases that killed seven people during that span, and noted a March 2024 policy update that deleted all references to the maneuver from OHP's rulebook, even though the tactic reportedly remains in use.
