From left: Lee Grace E. Dougherty, Ryan Edward Dougherty and Dylan Dougherty Stanley
Splash News Online
It was at about 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday when an 11-minute car chase between the Colorado State Patrol and fugitive siblings known as the “Dougherty Gang” came to an end.
The trio – Lee Grace Dougherty, 29, Ryan Edward Dougherty, 21, and half-brother Dylan Dougherty Stanley, 26 – drove off the side of the road after going faster than 100 mph.
Their stolen Subaru Impreza hit a guardrail and then flipped over. Lee Grace tried to escape by shooting at officers and eventually got shot in the leg, suffering a minor injury. All three were then apprehended.
On the run since Aug. 2, these troubled 20-somethings who included a sexy woman who once was a stripper had captivated the nation’s media with their daring alleged crime spree, though officials would describe them in less romantic terms.
“They were extremely dangerous,” said FBI spokesperson Dave Joly. “They’ve engaged law enforcement multiple times with weapons fire, and we and state patrol took fire. … They’re the baddest of the bad.”
Undone by Notoriety
Ultimately, it was the publicity they generated that caused their downfall.
Earlier Wednesday morning, the Pueblo County, Colo., Sheriff’s Department received a tip that one of the three siblings was spotted in a nearby Wal-Mart, trying to buy ammunition.
Based on an additional tip later in the morning, a deputy located their car at a campground near Colorado City. The trio reportedly took off once the deputy attempted to stop them, but according to the Denver Post, they were spotted at a gas station shortly thereafter, which is where the chase began.
The chase came to a halt thanks to “stop sticks,” which are Teflon-coated quills that troopers had set up on the road to puncture the trio’s tires.
After their arrest, officers took the siblings to a nearby health center for evaluation. No officers were hurt during the chase.
They had begun their crimes, authorities say, in central Florida when they allegedly shot a police officer who tried to pull them over. Later that day, they allegedly robbed a Georgia bank.
All three had previously existing criminal records, which included domestic violence, hit and run, marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license.
What was behind their alleged criminal impulses was still be sorted out. Barbara Bell, the mother of the siblings, told the Associated Press she is “making no comment at this time.”
