80
Mclean Police department
1437 Balls Hill Rd,
McLean, VA 22101
Fairfax County
Lat = 38 degrees, 56.0 minutes North
Long = 77 degrees, 11.9 minutes West
Thursday 21st September 1989(same day)
Eighteen zero three hours EST
Fairfax County is divided into eight police districts. McLean is one of those.
Sergeant Frank Bernal was working in dispatch at the Mclean county police department and was picking up the call from SD-6, immediately recognising the call sign as a CIA vehicle.
“SD-6 this is dispatch go ahead over.”
“Dispatch we have a 10-48 (suspicious vehicle) on our tail request a unit over?”
“What’s your 10-20 SD-6, over?”
“We are heading west on route 123 Dolly Madison Boulevard just passing the intersection with route 193, over.”
“Dispatch to SD-6 description of vehicle over?”
“It’s a black Ford SUV, can’t see the licence number, over.”
“Standby SD-6 dispatching a unit to your location, over.”
Sergeant Bernal quickly looked at his screen for available units and then said, “Dispatch to Adam-Robert what’s your 10-20 over?”
Adam-Robert was a Ford Crown Victoria P71 police cruiser with two officers on board, Matt Gillett and Jose Ramirez.
Ramirez took the call, “Adam-Robert heading south on Old Dominion drive over.”
“Adam-Robert, I have just had a call from SD-6 reporting a 10-48 black Ford SUV tailing them, currently heading west on route 123 Dolly Madison Boulevard just passing route 193, over.”
“Adam-Robert 10-4 on route.”
Matt Gillett immediately swung the cruiser around in a one-hundred and eighty degrees turn and booted the gas pedal.
The Crown Vic’s 351 cubic inch 5.8 litre V-8 engine immediately came to life and the vehicle began consuming up the asphalt.
The OSC driver had held several cars back from the CIA vehicle just keeping them in sight when their Codetta switched to speaker mode came to life with GAIL’s voice.
“Team-6 from ICIS turn off at your next intersection with Churchill road, your target has clocked you and they have contacted the local Police, who have dispatched a police cruiser, over.”
The driver located Churchill road coming up on his right and took the turn.
GAIL had been monitoring the radio frequencies in the Langley area and had picked up the call from the target vehicle.
GAIL said, “Team-6 our bird is overhead, I will continue tracking target vehicle, I suggest you take whatever action necessary to avoid detection by the police, over.”
One of the OSC team replied, “GAIL can you give us a way out, over?”
“Stay on that road to the end and then turn right onto the 686 Balls Hill road, when you get to the end of that road turn left onto the 193 and then you will immediately be on the intersection with route 495 Capital Beltway and take the left on-ramp. That should put you running south, I should then be able to relocate you with the target vehicle, over.”
“Copy that GAIL, team-6 out.”
Sydney Carter had seen the tailing vehicle turn off the 123 and spoke into the radio handset, “Dispatch from SD-6 the suspect vehicle has left us and is heading north on Churchill road, over.”
Sergeant Bernal replied, “10-4, do you want us to locate and stop the vehicle, over?”
“10-4 dispatch, be advised suspects may be armed, over.”
Sergeant Bernal then spoke to the dispatched vehicle, “Dispatch to Adam-Robert, suspect vehicle has turned north onto Churchill road stop and apprehend vehicle and occupants, be advised use caution code-4, over.”
Ramirez replied, “10-4 dispatch show us as 10-50 request additional units, over?”
Ramirez hit the switches and the car lit up along with the siren wailing.
As soon as sergeant Bernal had broken off transmission with Adam-Robert, he spoke into his radio handset and said, “All units I have a 10-2 request from Adam-Robert in the Mclean district on a code-4, units available respond?”
GAIL had overheard the police transmissions and immediately contacted team-6, “GAIL to team-6, over.”
Team-6 replied, “Go ahead GAIL.”
“The police are dispatching more units after you and they have you as a code-4, my records indicate this as Caution-Suspect maybe armed, over.”
“Roger that GAIL we have just picked up route 495 heading south, get us out of here and quick GAIL?”
“I have you approaching Idylwood park intersection take the turning on your right onto routes-66 and stay on it for 12 miles and then come off at the Centreville intersection turning right onto Sully road. There’s a golf complex one mile up the road, you should be safe there, over.”
“Copy that GAIL, team-6 out.”
The police cruiser Adam-Robert had made good time having come in from Balls Hill Road without seeing the suspect vehicle and had come to a stop with Churchill road on their right.
Matt Gillett looked at Ramirez who said, “It’s your call?”
Matt did a quick look down Churchill road and then pressed on the gas pedal and said, “The 495 makes sense!”
Ramirez spoke into the radio handset, “dispatch from Adam-Robert, suspect vehicle possibly headed for the 495, direct additional units there, over.”
Sergeant Bernal replied, “roger that Adam-Robert. All units in the Mclean area, suspect black Ford SUV vehicle possibly now on route 495, units please respond?”
“Ocean-Robert, heading south on the 495 just coming over the Potomac River, over.”
“Charlie-Robert, heading east on the 267 just turning onto Leesburg pike and Tysons corner towards route-495, over.”
Sergeant Bernal had a good geographical working knowledge of the area, having been a patrol officer for sixteen years and he knew their chances were now becoming slimmer in finding the suspect vehicle.
He paused for a few moments and then spoke into the radio, “all units in the Mclean district complete a sweep of the area and then go 10-98, dispatch out.”
He contacted the CIA vehicle, “Dispatch to SD-6, your 10-48 has not been located, over.”
Carter replied, “roger that Dispatch we have no signs of the vehicle here, thanks for the assist, SD-6 out.”
Team-6 had just turned off the Centreville intersection when their Codetta came to life with GAIL’s voice, “Team-6 you should be clear, the police units have lost you and are now conducting a sweep of your last known location and once that has been done have been given a code 10-98, Resume Normal Operations, over.”
“Copy that GAIL, where is the target vehicle over?”
“They are heading south on route-234 towards route-95 as soon as they stop I will advise over.”
“Received, we will standby at the golf complex, team-6 out.”
Sydney Carter had continually monitored the road behind without seeing the Black Ford SUV again and was now pressing onto the safe house in Spotsylvania.