Collier County 911 protocol in road rage incident called into question

A road rage incident in Collier County this week that led to a chase and eventually an arrest is calling some to question the county’s 911 protocol.

911 call: “There’s a guy in a blue car in front of me that’s pointing his gun at me. He is an absolute maniac.”

Thirty-two-year-old Tyrone Page was arrested for pointing and firing a gun at another car with a woman and her daughter inside.

911 call: “OK, just stay on the line with me. Do you have visual on this person still?”

911 call: “I do. He is going east on Vanderbilt east of 951.”

Deputies began their pursuit of Page’s blue Hyundai near Immokalee and Randall roads.

The pursuit continued down Wilson Boulevard, then Golden Gate Boulevard west, to Collier Boulevard before finally ending near Seventh Avenue Southwest.

This, after deputies said they used a PIT maneuver to stop the car.

911 call: “OK, I need you to slow down.”

911 call: “Every time I slow down, he slows down.”

911 call: “OK, pull over into a station parking lot.”

911 call: “I’m not stopping. He keeps stopping behind me. I’m not stopping.”

911 call: “OK, ma’am. I can’t get a deputy for you if you keep moving.”

WINK News talked with retired police chief Kristen Ziman.

“The number one priority is to ensure the callers’ safety. First and foremost, that is number one,” Ziman said.

She said dispatch did the right thing because the logic behind their training is to get the driver to a well-lit area with people.

“This is where we have to apply, you know, this scenario as it’s unfolding, and use our best judgment,” Ziman said, “and if we decide, perhaps that’s not the best idea to pull into a gas station, you know, then we keep moving and keep the dispatcher abreast of location, direction of travel and all of the description that they can come up with.”

She added that dispatchers don’t have the luxury of seeing what’s happening or unfolding before their eyes, so they rely on the caller to tell them what’s happening.

WINK News reached out to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, and they responded with the following statement:

The protocol and standard in an emergency is to provide clear direction to the caller and keep the caller as safe as possible. When the caller’s vehicle was behind the suspect vehicle the dispatcher told her to go to a gas station or other public place. His goal was for her to get to a well-lit, public location where she would be safe. The dispatcher discouraged her from continuing toward her home because a residential location would be less safe for her if the suspect was still engaging her. Once deputies engaged the suspect vehicle the suspect led them on a pursuit, which removed his focus from the victim. At that point the dispatcher asked the caller again to go to a gas station to speak with deputies and she complied.