ABC23 has was obtained dash cam video of Pennsylvania state police troopers arresting a man they say lead them on a high-speed chase in Centre County.
Now, his defense attorney is saying in a court filing that one of the troopers assaulted him while taking him into custody. We warn you some of the images could be disturbing.
Video from a trooper’s cruiser shows the encounter on December 6, off I-80 in Boggs Township.
State police say they tried to stop a white Chevy Tahoe for allegedly following a tractor-trailer too closely.
They say the driver then led them on a chase before exiting the interstate and stopping on a rural Centre County road. In the video, you can see the driver put his hands out of the car before one trooper appears to strike him at least 8 or 9 times as they try to pull him out of his car. It also appears his seatbelt is still holding him in place.
Following his arrest, the mugshot of Dereck Raimey shows that his left eye appears to be swollen shut.
Raimey was charged with fleeing and alluding police, reckless driving, as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and DUI.
On December 6th, just outside of Milesburg, in Centre County, 45-year-old Dereck Raimey, of Memphis, Tennessee, is seen with his hands already outside the vehicle as he is about to be removed by Pennsylvania state troopers, with guns drawn.
Troopers claimed after his vehicle was stopped, he resisted arrest. Raimey, in the video, appears to be punched multiple times, including in the eye, which is swollen in the mugshot.
In the preliminary hearing after the arrest, his attorney asks one of the troopers if it is policy to punch a suspect in the eye. That question is never answered, but the court documents we obtained do provide the police account of what happened before the traffic stop.
In the criminal complaint against Raimey, Trooper Shane Eichelberger says he and Trooper Joshua Yaworski were on patrol on Interstate 80 on the morning of December 6th. They say Raimey’s vehicle was observed changing lanes and then following too close to a tractor-trailer; too close translates to unsafe driving behavior and police say they attempted to stop Raimey.
Instead, according to the troopers in the arresting affidavit, he takes off and a high-speed chase ensues, with speeds of up to 100 miles an hour, which goes on for nearly twenty minutes. The troopers say in the affidavit that Raimey almost caused a collision with several other civilian vehicles.
Police say Raimey got off the interstate, at the Milesburg exit, ends up on rural roads, hits dead ends and is finally stopped on Moose Run Road.
Police stressed that the high speeds and Raimey’s alleged driving, at times, in the wrong lane, he could have easily caused a crash or killed someone.
On McNamara Drive, police say an object was reportedly thrown from Raimey’s vehicle and was later determined to be a digital scale, which is commonly used in drug transactions. According to state police, a small bag of cocaine was also found in Raimey’s vehicle, which the affidavit says he admits he used while driving.
When troopers asked Raimey why he took off, Raimey can be heard responding, “I’ve seen so many people get shot.”
On the dash cam video, one of the troopers can be heard saying, “yeah, you’re full of s***!”
With another trooper saying, “we’re cool man, we’re not, we’re not those guys.”
Troopers say Raimey claims he was delivering medical supplies in Pennsylvania when he was stopped. The charges filed against him are based on the chase and resulting stop.
On December 13th, Raimey’s preliminary hearing was held in Centre County court.
The transcript shows that Trooper Eichelberger testified that “Raimey passively resisted getting out of his vehicle,” and says that he doesn’t want to comment on whether Raimey was punched while handcuffed. Those transcripts show the trooper also commented on how Raimey was thrown to the ground saying, “he was pulled to the ground, I don’t know if I would use the word slammed.”
Trooper Eichelberger says he was busy taking Raimey’s passenger into custody, without incident. Trooper Eichelberger also testified that he initially didn’t know Raimey was black before he was stopped, saying “he didn’t see his face.”
Raimey’s criminal record is an issue in resetting his bail. According to the assistant district attorney at the hearing, Raimey has an extensive criminal history in Mississippi and Tennessee, including multiple arrests for fleeing and eluding, and drug related charges, and in 2020 charged with human trafficking.
We asked the state police for a comment on the stop and procedures, and they said that since the case is still pending in court, there’s no additional information they can provide, but add, “it’s important to note the nature of the incident automatically generated an internal investigation which is still active.”
A third court document we obtained is a motion filed by Raimey’s attorney to suppress evidence in the case. It claims that police video of the initial chase doesn’t show Raimey following any vehicles too closely, and that the resulting action by police was illegal.
Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna says he has no comment on the case at this point. He says his office is expected to file a response to the defense motion to suppress evidence.
A hearing on that issue is set for early April, and we will continue to follow this case.
Court documents also note that Raimey was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center after the arrest. His defense attorney says he refused medical treatment for his injuries.
Raimey has since made bail, and we are told that he is back home in Tennessee.
