Cowardly father tries to flee police by leaping out of his shifting automotive along with his spouse and kids nonetheless inside

A Florida father hurled himself out of his moving SUV with his wife and three terrified children still inside as deputies closed in during a chaotic police chase. 

The astonishing scene unfolded on Highway 79 in Washington County in northwest Florida on November 10 after a young child secretly dialed 911 to report that her parents were fighting in the car. 

The domestic violence call disconnected abruptly before responders could gather more information, police said. 

Minutes later, deputies spotted the family’s SUV matching the child’s description, but 46-year-old Albert Dale Searcy didn’t stop when cops tried to pull the car over. 

Officers then watched in disbelief as Searcy flung open the car door and leapt out onto the road, leaving his family hurtling down the highway without a driver in the front seat.

Searcy hit the road face-first, and his mugshot showed the father with bloodied scratches across his head. 

Albert Dale Searcy, 46, seen in his mugshot after he leapt from a moving car during a police chase on Thursday night in Florida 

Searcy left his wife and three children inside his car after police tried to pull him over on Highway 79 in Washington County in northwest Florida on November 10

Cops said Searcy’s wife Heather (seen together) climbed into the driver’s seat as the SUV continued to glide uncontrolled. Police say the outcome could have been fatal had she not taken action

Inside the SUV, Searcy’s wife Heather sprang into action. 

Authorities say she launched herself over the center console and seized the wheel, somehow managing to bring the vehicle to a safe stop while their three children remained strapped in the back.

A responding deputy immediately detained Searcy, who deputies said was stunned, scraped, and covered in road rash, but still able to stand. 

His booking photo shows the extent of his injuries, although deputies noted he was not seriously hurt.

The family, however, showed signs of a violent struggle. 

Deputies reported that Heather had ‘apparent injuries to her face’ consistent with a physical altercation. 

She told investigators she had repeatedly begged her husband to pull over and let her and the children out, a request he allegedly ignored again and again.

She also said that when Albert realized their daughter had secretly called 911, he ‘struck the child and took the phone away.’

The family had only recently returned to Washington County after a brief stay and were headed back to Louisiana when the fight broke out inside the vehicle and the phone call was made.

Albert Dale Searcy, 46, was taken to the Washington County Jail, where he remains in custody and is facing a barrage of charge

According to Heather’s account, the family had only recently returned to Washington County after a brief stay and were headed back to Louisiana when the fight broke out inside the vehicle.

Emergency medical services evaluated all five family members at the scene. Heather and the children were cleared. 

Albert was treated for abrasions but required no further medical care.

He was then taken to the Washington County Jail, where he remains in custody and is facing a barrage of charges including tampering with or harassing a witness, domestic violence battery, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, child abuse and driving while license suspended.

Investigators made clear just how close the family came to catastrophe. 

Police say Heather Searcy’s quick reflexes prevented what deputies described as a potentially deadly collision

Had Heather not reacted instantly, climbing into the driver’s seat as the SUV continued to glide uncontrolled, the outcome could have been fatal.

Instead, the mother’s quick reflexes prevented what deputies described as a potentially deadly collision. 

Her decisive action kept her children alive as their father landed on the asphalt in an alleged attempt to avoid arrest.

The sheriff’s office released Searcy’s mugshot showing his face bloodied after being bounced along the road.