WALSENBURG, Colo. – Three fugitive siblings accused of shooting at a Florida police officer and robbing a Georgia bank were arrested Wednesday after a harrowing car chase with bullets flying and speeds approaching 120 mph.

The Subaru Impreza the siblings were in crashed. Ryan Edward Dougherty, 21, Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26, and Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, were all caught before 10 a.m. local time.

According to Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor, the siblings were spotted at a campground in the San Isabel National Forest about 9 a.m. On the way to check it out, Pueblo County Sheriff Detective Robbie Newsome, who was driving an unmarked patrol car, spotted the siblings’ vehicle at a gas station off of Interstate 25.

Clerk Jaime Clark said a woman working the early shift was there when the siblings arrived.

“She didn’t even recognize them. They came in like normal and got their gas and snacks and paid and left,” she said. “We’re thankful for that.”

Once Newsome confirmed the three were in the vehicle, he began following them south on the interstate without making his presence known. He called the Colorado State Patrol for assistance and three patrol vehicles responded, prompting a 10-minute chase with the Impreza. During the chase, someone in the car pointed an AK-47 out the window and fired at troopers.

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Lt. Col. Anthony Padilla of the state patrol said troopers did not return fire.

“We are not trained to fire from a moving vehicle,” he said. “That’s cops and robbers on TV.”

He said troopers did not back off of the chase because the interstate was not crowded at the time and they were not headed toward a large city.

According to the state patrol, a trooper working overtime and overseeing a construction project near Walsenburg heard what was happening over his radio and put “stop sticks” on the road. The Impreza hit the sticks and crashed and rolled.

After the crash, all three siblings ran from the car. One brother, who authorities have not identified, was caught immediately. Lee Grace Dougherty, armed with a handgun, ran into a nearby field. Officials said she was beginning to put a round into her gun when she was shot in the leg by a Walsenburg police officer.

The other brother then ran into Walsenburg. He did not go into any businesses and was soon arrested.

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Inside the vehicle, authorities found two AK-47s, a machine pistol and a handgun.

The two brothers were treated for minor injuries from the crash, released by the hospital and arrested. It is not known if Lee Grace Dougherty has been released from the hospital.

The three have been on the run since Aug. 2 when the vehicle they were in was pulled over for speeding in Zephyrhills, Fla. The vehicle sped off and the pursuing police officer said at least two of the people inside fired 20 or more shots at him.

A few hours later, in Valdosta, Ga., three people wearing masks robbed Certus Bank. One robber had an AK-47 assault rifle and another had a machine pistol. The robbers fired shots into the ceiling and stole an undisclosed amount of money.

 


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