Columbus teen dies after high-speed chase with law enforcement

Update: Harris County Coroner Joe Weldon said early Wednesday that the cause and manner of Nicholas Tanner Dyksma's death is pending toxicology and histology reports. Officials are also waiting to obtain the teen's medical records, the coroner added.

Weldon said the toxicology report will be a key factor in the case, and it may take a couple months before officials collect those results. 

Original Story: A Columbus teen wanted in a high-speed chase early Monday died after a Harris County deputy armed with a Taser stunned him, authorities said.

Nicholas Tanner Dyksma, an 18-year-old Northside High School graduate, was pronounced dead at Midtown Medical Center around 3 a.m., said Harris County Coroner Joe Weldon. His body is scheduled for an autopsy today at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation lab in Decatur, Weldon said.

The cause of death is pending results of the autopsy report, the coroner added.

Columbus Police said they were called to the Circle K at 2536 Airport Thruway around 1:46 a.m. to check on a suspicious person in a Toyota pickup. Officials were told that the occupant, later identified as Dyksma, was slumped over the steering wheel, according to a report.

Harris County Chief Deputy Neil Adams said police went to the scene and approached the parked vehicle.

"At first when they went up there, they couldn't get any response out of him," he said. "When they finally did, he just cranked up and sped off."

Columbus authorities then pursued the vehicle.

Harris County deputies received a call from 911 dispatch around 2 a.m. informing them about the high-speed chase, which had reached Highway 27 by that time. Deputies were prepared to assume the chase if it continued into their jurisdiction, Adams said.

When the truck reached the county line, police stopped chasing the vehicle and let Harris County officials continue the pursuit, Adams said.

Deputies found the truck around Holland Road and Highway 27, Adams said. They followed it until mile marker 8 on Highway 27, where they deployed Stop Stick brand tire-deflation devices, he said.

"At that time, they had gotten up to the speed of about 85 mph," Adams said. "He slowed down and we attempted to use a boxed-in maneuver in order to get him off the roadway."

Adams said the driver hit one of the patrol vehicles, which was going less than 10 mph at the time. The collision caused Dyksma's vehicle to shift to the side of the road, and deputies approached the truck, Adams said.

"The windows were rolled up, the doors were locked and the vehicle was still running," the chief deputy said. "The tires were still spinning. He was trying to get away."

The chief deputy said the Toyota got stuck.

"We were able to bust the windows out," Adams said. "Again, he wouldn't turn the vehicle off. He wouldn't obey anything we were telling him to do."

A male deputy carrying a Taser stunned the teen driver once, placed him under arrest and pulled him from the vehicle, Adams said. Authorities later realized that Dyksma's breathing was shallow, and they immediately called EMS to the scene, according to the chief deputy.

"Between that time and when they arrived, he stopped breathing," Adams said. "We took the handcuffs off. We began CPR, and he was transported to the medical center."

The Harris County Sheriff's Office and GBI are conducting two separate investigations into the incident, Adams said.

Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley said he felt as if his deputies followed the correct procedure in what he described as a volatile situation. He said someone else could have easily been harmed if Dyksma was able to move the vehicle any further.

"When you order someone to do something and they fail to do it, you can either lay your hands on them or you can get you a Taser," the sheriff said. "We don't pay people to fight. We pay people to get other people in compliance."

Jolley said they will not release the name of the deputy who stunned Dyksma, and none of the deputies involved were suspended.

Those deputies will got through a counseling session to ensure that "their heads on straight and their hearts are right" as they continue to do their jobs, the sheriff said.

"We don't want them to go back out there having second thoughts about what they did, because the situation was handled appropriately," Jolley said. "We want them to be able to talk it out and feel comfortable about going back out and doing their job."

— Sarah is a crime and safety reporter at The Ledger-Enquirer. You can contact her on Twitter at @SarahR_92.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Columbus teen dies after high-speed chase with law enforcement ."