Troopers Reflect On Capture Of Dougherty Gang

“To Protect and Serve” is the motto of a law enforcement officer, and troopers of the Colorado State Patrol truly lived up to that motto during Wednesday’s pursuit and capture of the Dougherty gang.

“I wouldn’t say really that it was scary,” said Trooper Clayton Mock. “But it was tense.”

Mock and Trooper Gary Schaaf were at the Pueblo County Courthouse on Thursday for the initial court appearance of the sister, brother and half-brother wanted on suspicion of violent crimes in Georgia and Florida.

Schaff said troopers began the morning responding to a report of the gang seen in Pueblo West, but it turned out to be a group of Fort Carson soldiers who happened to match some of the gang’s description.

“Then we were told about a sighting at the Colorado City exit (of Interstate 25),” said Schaaf. “We got there just as the suspect kind of exited and went south on the Interstate.”

Schaaf said he and Mock were behind the first group of three trooper cruisers pursuing the gang for 20 miles while being fired upon with an assault rifle at speeds of 100 mph. Pueblo County sheriff’s Detective Robbie Newsome was among the initial pursuers.

“From our position, I don’t think they could have shot at us directly,” Schaaf said.

Schaaf said he and Mock were prepared to use their cruisers to force the getaway car to stop. The car crashed at the north Walsenburg exit after authorities deployed stop sticks to deflate the car’s tires. That’s when the tension level rose, Schaaf said.

“It was almost like slow motion when we saw one of the males go for something in the trunk,” said Schaaf. “Luckily and thankfully, he did decide to surrender instead of continue for a firearm.”

In court records released Thursday, James Chamberlain, Walsenburg’s police chief, shot the sister, Lee Grace Dougherty, after he said she pointed a gun at him. She suffered a thigh injury and was taken to jail in a wheelchair.

“We quite literally dodged a bullet on this one,” said Mock. “It’s kind of incredible, given the fact they made no secret that they didn’t want to be taken alive. It’s nothing short of a miracle that it turned out the way it did.”

The troopers said they appreciate citizens who were patient while being stuck in traffic because of the chase, and they thanked the people who reported seeing the gang.