TAHLEQUAH -- Cherokee County sheriff's deputy Bronson McNiel was recovering at home Wednesday after a Monday afternoon surgery.
Undersheriff Jason Chennault said McNiel went through a four-hour surgery at a Tahlequah hospital on Monday to stop bleeding inside a punctured lung.
McNiel suffered the injuries when his vehicle crashed and rolled onto its side during a pursuit last Sunday morning. Chennault said McNiel is expected to be away from his work duties for approximately one month.
Deputy Nick Harkreader's vehicle also rolled several times at the same location. Harkreader was transported to a Tahlequah hospital along with McNiel, but was treated and released, with only minor injuries.
The pursuit began in Cherokee County, near Caney Ridge, after a driver reported people in a car were shooting a firearm around 3 a.m. Sunday. The suspects refused to stop for Harkreader and McNiel, and led them on a pursuit into Adair County, about five miles west of Stilwell.
Sheriff's officials said the deputies' vehicles crashed when they couldn't make a 90-degree turn on a dirt road. The suspects' vehicle crashed about a half-mile from where McNiel's and Harkreader's police units crashed.
Adair County law enforcement and Cherokee Nation marshals assisted in the arrests of Joshua Farris, 21, of Stilwell; Roy Rabbit, 22, of Stilwell; and Mark Cooper, 20, of Sallisaw.
Copyright 2012 - Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
