Cops say she led them on a chase out of church, then they started shooting and she crashed

OCALA, Fla. – The lives of two police officers called to investigate a suspicious person at the First Assembly of God Christian School were reportedly on the line at the end of a chase, more than seven miles away.

The officers in Florida on Sept. 22 saw Linda Parker Vaughn standing outside the driver door of a red Ford SUV, so they got out of their patrol vehicle to talk to her, but the arrest report said, “She quickly entered her vehicle and accelerated east.”

Then, “Vaughn almost immediately swerved towards an occupied pickup truck before swerving away from it and continuing east.

“Vaughn then failed to stop when turning south,” and later ran a red light. 

When approaching another intersection, “Vaughn began to swerve recklessly in both eastbound lanes while approaching stopped vehicles.

“Vaughn then ran the red light [and] while doing so, Vaughn appeared to intentionally swerve into the westbound lanes, towards a pedestrian who was traveling north in the eastern crosswalk.

“Vaughn narrowly missed this pedestrian and continued to travel east. 

“[The officer driving] activated his red and blue emergency lights and siren on his marked patrol vehicle and attempted to stop on suspicion of her driving while intoxicated.

“Vaughn failed to stop and drove east at a high rate of speed.

“Vaughn continued to travel east until she turned north into [a diner].

“Vaughn parked in a handicap spot at the location and [the officer] stopped his patrol vehicle directly behind her with its red and blue lights still active.

“[The officers] exited the vehicle and began to approach Vaughn from both the passenger and driver side.”

She may have stopped but apparently she didn’t park. 

“Vaughn then rapidly reversed her vehicle,” the arrest report continued, “striking the front of [the patrol] vehicle.

“Vaughn then pulled forward before reversing again in the direction of [the other officer]. Vaughn again struck [the patrol] vehicle and almost struck the officer, causing him to quickly step back to avoid being hit.

“Vaughn then began to drive forward while turning towards the officer, again causing him to step step to the side to avoid being hit by her vehicle.

“Officers began to discharge their firearms at Vaughn at this time. 

“Vaughn then drove her vehicle into the rear of the parking lot before crashing into foliage and several fences. Vaughn again reversed, turned around, and drove directly at [the officer] who was standing near the driver side of an unrelated parked vehicle. [The officer] was forced to quickly run out of the way to avoid being struck by Vaughn.

“Vaughn’s vehicle then impacted the driver side of the unrelated vehicle. Vaughn ducked down, out of the view of the officers on scene, and continued to hold down the accelerator while stopped against the vehicle she struck.

“Numerous law enforcement officers arrived on scene and approached Vaughn’s vehicle to remove her. Vaughn was still attempting to maneuver her vehicle at this time, but it had been pinned by another patrol vehicle. 

“Vaughn refused to willingly exit the vehicle so officers attempted to forcefully remove her. Vaughn violently resisted their efforts by attempting to pull their hands off of her while pulling herself farther into her vehicle. Vaughn was ultimately removed.”

She was arrested and taken to a hospital, then to police headquarters where she was questioned.

“Vaughn admitted she snorted an unknown narcotic around midnight and took twice the amount of her prescribed medicine,” an officer reported her saying. “Vaughn then travelled to several locations before arriving at the church to allegedly meet a friend.

“Vaughn admitted officers contacted her at the location and she claimed these officers were evil, and stated they would kill her for an unknown reason.

“No such statements were captured on body cam video. 

“Vaughn admitted she then left the location and refused to stop, despite seeing red and blue lights behind her.

“Vaughn admitted she did almost strike the pedestrian at [address], but had no intentions to strike him. Vaughn stated she only wished to get close enough to the pedestrian to give him ‘good powers.’

“Vaughn admitted to parking in a handicap parking spot at [the diner].

“Vaughn claimed she was ‘set up’ when she arrived and believed she was again going to be killed, so she began reversing backward and driving forwards.

“Vaughn made inconsistent statements about if she recalled striking anything while reversing out of the handicap spot. Vaughn stated she believed she was shot at and admitted to crashing into several objects, to include fences and palmetto plants.

“Vaughn maintained that she had no intention of hurting or killing anyone, and claimed she was only trying to leave so she could go fishing.”

Vaughn, 61, has a lengthy criminal history.

She faced charges well before 2010, when she spent seven-and-a-half months in jail for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Less than two months after her release, she was picked up and spent five months behind bars for aggravated battery with great bodily harm, and her bond was revoked for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors didn’t pursue charges of false imprisonment and petit theft.

Payment Plan Agreement, Jan. 27, 2023 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd

Vaughn’s arrest in 2020 led to almost 18 months in jail for battery-second or subsequent offense, and her bond was revoked for her earlier convictions. She has been paying $25 every month for more than a year to resolve that case.

Vaughn also served more than a year in state prison for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with intended harm, and battery-second or subsequent offense. She’d been sentenced to three years.

This time, she was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon on law enforcement, fleeing and eluding, and resisting with violence.

First Appearance Findings and Orders, Sept. 23, 2024 by Lenny Cohen on Scribd

She’s being held without bond and is scheduled to be arraigned next Tuesday, Oct. 22.