A 33-year-old Edison, New Jersey, woman driving a Nissan after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers blew out her tires and surrounded her on the shoulder following a pursuit that allegedly lasted more than 30 miles and reached speeds of up to 110 mph in late June was caught on bodycam video complaining that authorities took her phone, repeatedly asking them what their “problem” was, and claiming she didn’t know what fleeing and eluding meant.
The video obtained by Law&Crime on Monday is about 37 minutes long and shows troopers attempting to stop the suspect, Esther Paragulla, by demanding around the 34-minute mark that she simply “give it up” on the Ohio Turnpike on June 29.
“You won’t win this one! “The car is already falling apart,” a trooper can be heard saying while his dashcam is rolling. “You’re already in enough trouble; you don’t want to get into more. Go ahead and pull over. You’re never going to make it; there are maybe ten of us now.”
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“Pull it over, your tires are done, your car is done, and you are done,” the trooper repeated emphatically. “You have nowhere else to go! “Pull over now!” The car eventually came to a stop at an I-77 exit for Cleveland and Akron, and troopers exited from their trucks, pistols drawn. Authorities began removing the driver and her passenger from the car by shattering the passenger side glass and hauling a man to the ground. Troopers then approached the driver’s door and grabbed her from the vehicle.
“Ow, what’s your friggin’ problem?” When she was taken out of the car and handcuffed, the driver appeared to say something. “Are you guys serious right now?”
“This is mine,” a trooper remarked, apparently referring to the suspect’s phone.
“You took my phone!” she shouted.
“You ain’t gettin’ your phone right now,” a trooper responded.
“What is your problem?” the driver inquired once more. “You’re under arrest for fleeing and eluding,” the officer replied.
“For what?” To flee and elude? “What does that even mean?” the driver inquired.
At this moment, the arresting trooper informed Paragulla of her rights.
Meanwhile, the male passenger in the automobile was already on the ground, hands behind his back. When the driver saw that, he asked again, “Are you serious?”
During the pursuit, a trooper could be heard indicating that the passenger was filming what was going on.
“Watch that passenger, he’s the one egging her on,” the trooper said. “Thinking it’s funny.” The passenger has reportedly not been charged or recognized.
The chase allegedly began in Trumbull County and extended into Portage County, resulting in Paragulla’s indictment in the latter jurisdiction in early July for allegedly assaulting a trooper by nearly hitting him, fleeing and eluding authorities, and obstructing official business.
Law&Crime researched court documents and discovered that she pled not guilty due to insanity on July 8.
A trial was initially scheduled for September 24.