WALLS, MS (abc24.com) - It's a major blow to a tiny town in Mississippi. Every police cruiser in Walls needs repairs.
Walls is located right between Memphis and Tunica, just over the state line. Three officers wrecked their squad cars Tuesday after a chase into Memphis ended in a giant pile-up. That crash is leaving the department in the lurch.
"When you're small and a three man department like this, I'll be walking for a while probably," says Walls Police Chief Gary Boisseau. He's now a cop without a car.
"Mine is messed up pretty good and the front end is completely torn off."
Boisseau and two of his officers all wrecked Tuesday afternoon chasing burglary suspect Brandon Erby into Memphis.
The chase started on Highway 61 just a few miles from the Mississippi-Tennessee border. Boisseau says criminals see the state line as a safe haven.
DeSoto County Sheriff's deputies called off the chase as Erby entered Memphis. That's not something Boisseau believes in. "It's our duty to follow as safely as humanly possible, especially across the state lines, until we encounter a Memphis police car."
He says Erby was driving like a crazy person. "He went into opposing traffic. There were cars scattering every which a way, he was running 90 plus miles an hour, going northbound in southbound lanes. We said we need to stick with the chase."
Erby was eventually captured. The department is paying the price. Boisseau's cruiser needs major repair work. The other two aren't as bad.
"They're not pretty but they're able to be driven," he tells abc24.com. He adds the department will make do until the money is found, which could be a while.
Boisseau guesses they'll need ten to twelve thousand dollars to repair all the cars. In the meantime, he promises safety in Walls won't suffer.
"We have a town pickup truck. If I have to be out in the truck, patrols will still happen. We'll come out on top. It's just going to take a little while."
Erby has a criminal record. He's being held in Memphis awaiting extradition to Mississippi. He faces charges in DeSoto County and Walls. Boisseau says Erby is looking at serious jail time.
