Student A Real Trooper When Cop Gets In Trouble

Cheryl Powell’s educational ride along with a state trooper turned into a heart-thumping police chase and brawl early Sunday.

Before the adventure ended, the 17-year-old Ferris High School senior would have to grab the police radio and call for help.

The night shift Powell observed for her journalism class jolted out of routine shortly before 2 a.m. when Washington State Patrol trooper Mike Shaw chased a speeding car off Interstate 90.

The pursuit continued up Argonne Road as the suspect ran two red lights before slamming to a stop at a curb.

When Shaw approached the car, the man turned hostile. Back in the patrol car, Powell suddenly found herself watching a wrestling match.

“They went up and down about three times,” she said. “I was worried about what was going to happen to trooper Shaw. … I wanted to get out and take the flashlight and have at the guy.”

But she knew the rules. High school students and others who participate in the patrol’s ride-along program aren’t supposed to leave the car.

So instead, Powell reached for the radio, a familiar object. She’s the daughter of Sgt. Chris Powell, public information officer for the WSP.

Powell called for help just as the brawler grabbed Shaw’s handcuffs and flung them in the street. The fight continued. She called again.

“I heard people talking over the radio but it seemed to take forever for them to get there,” she said. “My heart was racing, but I stayed calm.”

When the backup officers arrived, Shaw was able to cuff and subdue Glen J. Forman.

Forman, 25, was jailed on assault, drunken driving and marijuana possession charges.

Shaw, who was kicked in the leg and punched in the ribs, was briefly hospitalized after the scuffle. After he checked out, he called Powell, who is preparing to write an article about her harrowing ride-along for her school newspaper.

She was happy to hear from Shaw.

“He said, ‘thank-you’ and that I’d done a good job.”

, DataTimes