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Cops, just like everyone else, sometimes don’t do things the best way possible. That’s especially true when people watch dashcam footage of chases and can unemotionally make observations about what they supposedly would’ve done to avoid a perceived mistake. It’s with that in mind we present this pursuit footage from Florida Highway Patrol where a trooper has to make a split-second decision some are criticizing.
Watch a cop wreck out trying to PIT a pizza delivery car.
The chase, which happened back in April 2024, started after the trooper noticed a black Dodge Charger going over 110 mph and weaving through traffic on Interstate 275. After observing the suspect vehicle, the trooper tried pulling it over but the muscle car accelerated to over 147 mph.
At that speed, the slower-moving vehicles all over the interstate come up quickly, so the trooper is focused not only on catching the fleeing Mopar but also not hitting some innocent family. It’s a delicate balance but he does a good job of managing both.
After a bit, the Dodge driver exits the interstate and tries his luck on surface streets. He blasts through a red light, luckily not causing a crash, as the trooper tries negotiating the intersection with more care.
With a little bit more breathing room, the suspect still knows he’s not out of the woods. Thankfully the other lights they travel through are green, allowing the trooper to close the gap up again. But there’s a problem ahead which quickly emerges: the opposing lane of traffic on the two-lane road is blocked by a parked box truck.
That’s not a huge deal and is something the trooper can see as they approach. What he can’t spot as the suspect slams on his brakes is there’s a car coming the over direction around the truck, in their lane of travel.
Had the suspect and trooper not been speeding, that wouldn’t have been a problem. Unable to stop in time, the Charger driver tries squeezing the big muscle car between the other car and box truck.
The trooper, on the other hand, has even less time to react as the suspect hits the one car and truck, then the FHP cruiser does the same. The gap just isn’t big enough to fully accommodate either car.
Badly damaged, the suspect can’t push the Mopar muscle car to really get going again. That’s when the trooper takes advantage and PITs the suspect out, turning the pursuit into a foot chase.
The question we have for everyone is if you think the trooper could’ve or should’ve handled the situation differently? We know hindsight is 20/20 and that plenty of people will have unrealistic suggestions of what the trooper should’ve done, but we still want to hear it from you.
Tell us what you think.
Image via Scooper/YouTube
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