It was really like any other morning for Santa Clarita Detective Jeffrey Jackson until he heard the call from the local dispatcher describing the suspects in a recent bank robbery at the Washington Mutual in Stevenson Ranch.
Mandated to work two days each month on the streets, Jackson was traveling down McBean Parkway past Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. Trying to think about the escape routes bank robbers might take, he headed straight for the 5 freeway overpass and parked his vehicle. The eyewitness had described the get-away car as a green BMW with handicapped license plates. With timing like you’d find in an Eddie Murphy Beverly Hills Cop movie, the exact instant that Jackson heard the description from dispatch on his car radio, he saw the car.
“I didn’t even wait to hear the license number, I just figured, how many green BMW’s with handicap license plates could there be? I started to follow it,” says Jackson.
What followed was truly like a Hollywood movie. Even though the witness, Janet Homan, a commercial crimes deputy, described three suspects and Jackson only saw one inside driving the car, he continued his pursuit remembering how thieves often crouch down in the back seat to avoid identification. Keeping a safe distance as to not endanger anybody during the morning commute southbound on the 5 freeway and not using any lights or sirens, Jackson followed.
“My goal was to have a safe and speedy conclusion to the chase,” says Jackson, “I just kept waiting for the helicopter to catch up with us.”
He was following protocol waiting for the required number of units to catch up with him before initiating a stop.
“You’re excited, your blood is pumping and you know you have a big fish on the hook. You really just want to safely reel ‘em in,” says Jackson.
Minutes seemed like seconds as he drove at high speeds and kept the suspect car in sight. The driver of the 525i BMW changed to the carpool lane on the southbound 405 freeway as the traffic grew heavier.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I hope they don’t crash,’” says Jackson.
Eventually, while keeping his wits about him, he followed them as they took the 118 freeway westbound and exited at Havenhurst. He saw a cloud of dust as they pulled off the freeway and parked.
”The helicopter arrived as we detained the driver,” says Jackson, “The other two suspects jumped out of the backseat and ran.”
With the assistance of various other law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, LAPD, K-9 units, a SWAT team and numerous others, the chase and pursuit ended with arrests of all three suspects.
“I got to drive fast. I had fun,” says Jackson with humility about going above and beyond the call of duty.
Jackson and his fellow officers will receive special letters of thanks for their efforts from the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s department.
“Now the real heroes are the guys who have to fill out hours of reports and are faced with stacks of paperwork and a trail of interviews to follow-up on to ensure the conviction of the suspects,” says Jackson about his fellow officers and in particular, Detective Doyle Winslow ,who he knows is still buried knee-deep in reports.
Not wanting to reveal a stereotypical ending to the “all in a day’s work” bank robbery drama, he reluctantly admits to tight hugs from his kids upon his arrival home that day.
If you have a “hero” you’d like to tell us about, email us at lisa@santaclaritamagazine.com