An unstable woman shot a deputy with his AR-15 rifle in Oklahoma after escaping her handcuffs in the back of a police cruiser.
The bizarre shooting unfolded on Friday, August 12th, when Grady County police were called to conduct a welfare check after receiving a call from a concerned homeowner who witnessed Rachel Zion Clay acting erratically. When officers arrived, they found Clay barking like a dog while crawling on all fours. They detained the woman and initially had no plans to officially arrest her.
After handcuffing Clay and placing her in the backseat of the patrol car, she was somehow able to free her wrists and unlock the gun compartment towards the front of the vehicle. Dash cam footage shows Clay retrieving the AR-15 assault rifle and firing at least ten rounds out the car window. She struck a deputy and the man who initially called the police to report her behavior. The woman barricaded herself in the patrol car for over four hours before surrendering. She later tested positive for meth.
Luckily the officer and homeowner suffered non-life threatening injuries and were released from the hospital.
Grady County Undersheriff Gary Boggess says the cuffs were property placed on but is unsure how they came off so easily.
“It’s a freak deal,” Boggess said. He added that the department is now updating safety protocols to ensure something like this never happens again.
The 36-year-old has now been charged with three felony counts of shooting with intent to kill and is being held on a $1 million bond at the Grady County Jail.
