I don't think this case was ever on UM, but I know many of you watch the other crime shows, as I do. I know this should be placed in the true crime show folders, but they don't seem to get nearly as much traffic as UM, and I thought I'd have a much better chance of someone here remember this.

About a year ago, DH and I were watching one of the true crime shows, but I can't remember which one. I figured they'd rerun it, as they always do, and I would gt a chance to see it again, but I never did.

From what I recall: The perpetrator was on the run in a vehicle. I think it was in FL. I don't know if the car was stolen. He was pulled over by a highway patrolman (for speeding?) who was unaware that this man was armed and wanted by the cops.

I think he killed the cop and stole the cop car. I could be mistaken. He may have continued the escape in the other vehicle.

By this time, there were a huge amount of cops looking for this guy and chasing him. I've forgotten how he became separated from his car. I don't know if he crashed it and ran on foot, or abandoned it because it ran out of gas, or it was too recognizable, or what.

But I *think* he had busted through some police road blocks with the car. Then, he was on foot. He was running through the back woods and made an easy escape from the cops.

He holed up in a vacant cabin that he found. Just by chance, this cabin had shotguns and plenty of ammunition. He armed himself further and left out of there.

I think he went out looking for a vehicle to steal. A man saw him sneaking around his pick up truck, but that's all I remember about that part.

Eventually, and I can't remember how, the cops finally got him in custody. The whole thing was stressful, lasted for days or weeks, was deadly, and an armed murderer had been prowling around people's homes. It had been an absolutely miserable time for all the innocent people involved.

At some point, this felon needed to be transported, either to a different jurisdiction or the jailhouse or something. Here's the part that got to me.

After all that misery of him killing and eluding police they finally had him. But what do they do when they finally have him? Two of the highest ranking cops decided to transport him in an unmarked car that has no safety barriers at all. It was just a simple sedan.

The felon was handcuffed behind his back and riding in the back seat. The driver's service weapon was on his right hip and easily visible to the felon. He managed to get a hold of that gun and try to hijack the cop car for an escape!

The passenger cop pulled his service weapon. There was about to be a shoot out inside the car! The driver managed to get the car pulled over to the side of the road. Everyone got out of the car, where the shootout happened. Luckily for the cops, the handcuffed felon wasn't as good of a shot as they were, and they killed him there on the side of the road.

I was furious! I turned to DH and I said, "What the heck were those cops thinking!? They had the most wanted felon in the state, and instead of transporting him in a secure vehicle, with the five point shackles at wrists, ankles, and waist, they just sit him in the back seat of a sedan like grandma on a roadtrip! THEN, they don't even keep a good eye on him, and they let him get their gun! That is the absolutely worst police work I've ever seen in my life!!!!"

But then, just as I was finishing my rant, I realized.... Hey, this felon was a cop killer. Those cops didn't spend all that time searching through swamps and woods and chasing him on the highway for nothing. They wanted to make sure he received justice.

Honestly, I think thos superior ranking cops who were driving him to his transfer meted out "justice" and concocted that whole ridiculous story to cover it up.

The problem is, I realized all that during the commercials after the show was over. I really want to see it again or look up the info online, and I can't remember what show it was, who the killer was, nothing.

Help?

I didn't read your whole post, but there were things you mentioned about the case that didn't make it sound like it was something that was presented on UM. Most notably the part about a police car being stolen by a suspect. I don't recall any UM segment that aired a case involving such a theft.

The case was shown several times on AMW. That's probably where you saw it, as I don't remember seeing it on any other true crime show. The scumbag's name was Hank Carr: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Earl_Carr

Edit: Actually, having read your description more closely, I'm not sure you're referring to the Hank Carr case.

Zealot, The Carr story has similarities, but, yeah, that's not the guy I'm looking for. I remember when that one happened too, how awful about the little boy being shot and Carr killing those cops.

In the case I'm trying to figure out, the bad guy was actually killed by the police on the side of an isolated road during a transport. There were no witnesses and it was just the two cops word that the felon had gotten ahold of one of their guns and they had no choice but to shoot him before he shot them.

I found it all to be very suspicious. I thought that with such a dangerous criminal in their custody, he would have been transported in a specialized vehicle where he could be shackled and secured, but they left that vehicle parked back at the lot of the police station, and opted to take the cop killer for a "sunday drive" in an unmarked sedan.

I think the cops planned their own kind of justice for him. I'd love to be able to find out more info on this case.

The case you are reffering to is that of Paul John Knowles. I saw the episode you are reffering to several years ago and it was a two hour special on the discovery channel. Paul John Knowles was a serial killer suspected in 18 murders mostly of women, young girls, and law enforcement officers, as you indicated above. He was dubbed the casanova killer.

I am positive that this is the case you are speaking about.:)

good catch mercy1825!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_John_Knowles