A Dallas man has been sentenced to more than 22 years behind bars after crashing a stolen truck through a gate at Love Field during a police chase in 2010.
Michael Browne, 47, was sentenced to 270 months in federal prison for one count of interfering with security screening personnel.
Browne led Dallas police on a high speed chase that ended when he crashed a stolen truck through a closed security gate at Love Field Airport. Browne didn't stop there. Video from Chopper 5 shows him driving across the tarmac, crossing runway 31R and then down a taxiway adjacent to the runway before being spun-out by police.
Once officers had stopped the vehicle, they pulled Browne from the cab. Lucky for Browne he was stopped there. For a brief time, the use of deadly force was authorized with fear that the driver may crash into a plane.
Dallas police initially tried to pull Browne over after officers on surveillance noticed the vehicle he was in was reported stolen. Browne first slowed down, as if he was going to pull over, but then he sped away.
State charges are still pending against Browne for incidents the day before and during the chase, including criminal mischief and evading law officers. Prosecutors say Browne also faces earlier unrelated aggravated robbery counts in Dallas and Fort Worth.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration - Federal Air Marshal Service.
