District Attorney Strouse Rules Officers Were Justified in Non-Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting on I-80
Clinton County District Attorney’s Office News August 12, 2025:
District Attorney Strouse Rules Officers Were Justified in Non-Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting on I-80
LOCK HAVEN— Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse has completed his review of the Officer-Involved Shooting (OIS) of Jordan Joseph Lantz, a 36-year-old male resident of Williamsport in Lycoming County, immediately following a high-speed pursuit spanning from White Deer Township in Union County and concluding in Greene Township, Clinton County, on May 24, 2025. As part of this review, D.A. Strouse and Clinton County Detectives have reviewed body camera footage, motor vehicle recorder footage, investigative reports, crash reports, witness statements, and recorded interview footage.
On May 24, 2025, members of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) were conducting speed enforcement on SR-15 near its intersection with Joe Road in White Deer Township when a maroon pickup driven by Lantz was observed as it was traveling south at 83 mph in a 55-mph zone. PSP began to follow Lantz and activated the patrol car’s emergency lights and sirens in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, but Lantz refused to stop his vehicle. Additional members of PSP joined the vehicle pursuit upon being notified via radio communication.
Lantz fled PSP west on White Deer Pike and then entered I‑80 westbound at the Jersey Shore ramp near mile marker 192 in Clinton County, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. PSP successfully deployed stop sticks on Lantz’s vehicle near mile marker 187, and despite puncturing his vehicle’s tires, he continued to flee.
Lantz moved onto the highway’s right shoulder and attempted to pass a tow truck that was hauling a large recreational vehicle (RV). His pickup struck the RV, the tow truck, and the guide rail on the right side of the roadway. Shortly thereafter, PSP performed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) at mile marker 186.5, and Lantz’s vehicle was disabled near the left side of the road and into the median. PSP members then approached the vehicle from the front and from both the driver’s and passenger’s sides. Lantz refused to comply with repeated commands to show his hands and exit the vehicle. PSP observed him making various movements inside the vehicle, but visibility was limited due to after-market window tint film that “blacked out” the windows.
While Lantz continued to refuse to comply with the repeated commands to show his hands and exit the vehicle, a PSP Trooper witnessed him move into the rear passenger compartment of the pickup and then brandish the outline of an item that he believed to be a firearm. The Trooper then announced, “Gun.” As a result, multiple rounds were fired by three of PSP’s Troopers into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. One of the rounds fired by PSP struck Lantz in the upper right leg. PSP then pulled Lantz through the rear window of the vehicle, and Troopers immediately administered a tourniquet and first aid to his injury as Emergency Medical Services responded.
While he was pulled from the vehicle, Lantz pleaded with PSP not to help him and to just let him bleed. Lantz was transported to a medical facility where he was treated and eventually released. He is expected to make a full recovery from his injuries.
Additional testing on Lantz’s vehicle after the incident determined that it was equipped with front window tint films that allowed only 9% of sunlight to penetrate. Pursuant to Pennsylvania Law, front window tint can be no lower than 70%. The rear windows of the pickup were tinted to 22%.
Investigators also learned that at the time of the pursuit and the shooting, Lantz was speaking to a witness on his cell phone. The witness reported hearing Lantz yell at PSP that he was armed, as well as his refusal to comply with their commands to exit the vehicle. Other witnesses report that Lantz had made recent statements that he would rather commit “suicide by cop” than be arrested or go to jail. Witnesses also reported that Lantz had even shown them a “toy gun” that he claimed to keep in his vehicle in case he encountered police, indicating that he would brandish the gun in the hope that police would shoot and kill him.
A search of Lantz’s vehicle following the pursuit, subsequent crash, and shooting did not result in the discovery of a firearm or a “toy gun.” However, there were several other items in the vehicle that could have been brandished in a manner that could have appeared to be a firearm because of their size, shape, and the reduced visibility due to the vehicle’s dark window tint.
Lantz was charged with Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer (F3); Attempted Aggravated Assault (F3); Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance (M); Recklessly Endangering Another Person (M2), and various Summary traffic violations. He currently awaits jury selection in Clinton County, which is scheduled for September 12, 2025.
After a thorough review, District Attorney Dave Strouse has determined that the law enforcement officers acted reasonably under the circumstances when they fired their weapons at Lantz in their own defense and in defense of others, and therefore bear no criminal liability for their actions. A copy of District Attorney Strouse’s determination letter to Captain Travis Doebler of the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop F, is linked below.
Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://clinton.crimewatchpa.com/da/133000/post/district-attorney-strouse-rules-officers-were-justified-non-fatal-officer-involved-0
