Jury Says ‘Guilty’ After Video of High-Speed Chase

Chris Jasurek
Updated:

Cody Davis didn’t mean to lead police on a high-speed chase, he claimed in court—his brakes failed.

His story failed too—after police dash-cam video of Davis attempting incredibly dangerous stunts at speeds of over 100 mph.

Officers of the Lake Charles, Louisiana, police department were alerted to a sighting of a possible stolen vehicle on April 10, KPLC reported.

When the first unit arrived officers saw the suspect, 27-year-old Cody Davis.

The fleeing black vehicle barely squeezes between oncoming car and the car it is passing as it roars through an intersection at full speed. (Screenshot/NTD)
The fleeing black vehicle barely squeezes between oncoming car and the car it is passing as it roars through an intersection at full speed. Screenshot/NTD

When the officer turned on the lights, Davis took off—bashing vehicles out of his way.

He only made it about 10 blocks before he hit another vehicle at an intersection. This time he couldn’t drive away. The chase ended with Davis being dragged down and cuffed by deputies.

Cody Davis rams his way through an intersection, leaving wrecked cars in his wake. (Screenshot/NTD video)
Cody Davis rams his way through an intersection, leaving wrecked cars in his wake. Screenshot/NTD video

Video, Audio Recordings Show the Truth

Cody Davis tried to convince the jury that he was an innocent man, the victim of a simple mechanical breakdown. He didn’t mean to drive though dense downtown traffic at 100 mp, he claimed—his brakes failed. But he couldn’t fool digital video.

The prosecution started its case by showing the police dash-cam recording of the actual chase.

Cody Davis swerves from the far left lane of oncoming traffic to the far right lane and even onto the sidewalk to try to keep ahead of the pursuing police. (Screenshot/NTD)
Cody Davis swerves from the far left lane of oncoming traffic to the far right lane and even onto the sidewalk to try to keep ahead of the pursuing police. Screenshot/NTD

Davis claimed he couldn’t stop because his brakes weren’t working … yet he can be seen clearly slowing down to squeeze through traffic (and hitting a couple cars) before dramatically speeding up again to flee for another few minutes.

Davis didn’t hesitate to drive on the wrong side of the road, and at one point, after passing vehicles on the left while heading right at oncoming traffic, Davis cut across three lanes of traffic and drove onto the right-side sidewalk in order to get past other cars.

Davis rammed head-on into another truck, which finally stopped his high-speed flight. (Screenshot/NTD)
Davis rammed head-on into another truck, which finally stopped his high-speed flight. Screenshot/NTD
Amazingly, despite Davis hitting six vehicles, according to the prosecution, nobody was killed or even seriously injured. One driver he hit had to be treated for minor injuries, KPLC reported.

Then the prosecutors played another video for the jury—this one of Davis’s passenger, who said she was screaming at him to stop and let her out while he weaved through traffic at insane speeds. She also testified that Davis threw a gun out of the speeding truck—a gun he was prohibited from owning as a convicted felon.

The prosecution also played a, audio tape of Davis telling a friend about how he led cops on a high-speed chase.

A man face-down on the pavement with handcuffs being applied on April 10, 2018. (Screenshot/NTD)
A man face-down on the pavement with handcuffs being applied on April 10, 2018. Screenshot/NTD

Guilty of All Charges

Calcasieu, Louisiana, Assistant D.A. Charles Robinson told KPLC, “I think the dash camera speaks for itself.”

“I don’t think there’s a person who could put eyes on this dash camera and not be absolutely appalled that this happened and thrilled that he’s found guilty,” Robinson said.

Despite all the recorded evidence against him, Davis tried to lie his way out of the charges.

“Davis’s testimony was a pathetic joke. It’s a shame that he was even able to do that. He committed perjury in front of that jury. I could not count the amount of lies that this man came up with,” said Robinson. ”And to come in there and testify after we have recorded jail phone calls of him saying, ‘I led officers on a high-speed chase,’ that are in direct contradiction to what he’s saying to the jury. It’s ridiculous.”

Davis was found guilty of six charges: possession of weapon by a convicted felon, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, aggravated flight from an officer (during which he allegedly endangered human life), unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence (for allegedly throwing gun out window), and aggravated criminal damage to property (for allegedly ramming into a vehicle on purpose).

He is scheduled for a sentence hearing on Nov. 2. He faces stiffer penalties for being a habitual offender.

From NTD.tv
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