I don't know much about law enforcement and tactical driving, but I do know a bit about racing and losing control of vehicles at high speed. I'm not sure what other action here would have caused the suspect vehicle to:
1. Move right, rather than across traffic.
2. Move right now rather than when the oncoming traffic is nearby.
The only other thing I see here would have required overtaking on the left, which I don't know that the officer had time to do.
Are most police cars reinforced with roll bars beyond what is standard factory safety measurements. In general is it policy that LEO wear their seat belts? To go airborne and ambulate out of the hospital is quite a feat.
This is my AO as well. If allowed to continue any further he was likely going to kill someone. As already been stated the road narrows suddenly and there is traffic congestion.
So, yes, the trooper was flipping lucky;
Regarding seatbelts, they seem to be mandatory in most places now. Below100 and common sense have helped increase the number of cops using them. It took me years because of the mythology when I came on, but once I got it, they were on. Roll cage? Maybe but not the way you think. Don't picture an off-road design, rather it'd be a reinforced prisoner cage that has the B pillar around it;
I took a few looks at this video earlier today. So, the initial stop was for running a stoplight/sign on the shoulder. 17 minutes later, Arkansas State Police get involved. It'd be nicer to know all of the driving observations. However, I see the bad guy on the wrong side of the road and then veering back to the correct side. The only intersection has a green light. I didn't see the speed on the video but the reporter said over 100MPH (the highest speed reported was 130MPH).
And, a supervisor of some sort is saying to end it - akin to an incident commander directing a sniper to shoot the hostage-taker - rather than terminate it.
A ram probably would have been preferable but I have no idea what the road design, conditions immediately ahead of them would be.
I'd like to see the whole video and hear more.
What has the federal Circuit Court of Appeal for Ark said about pursuits as violent felonies? What is the state law there? Agency policy?
Could they have terminated the chase? Maybe, but that doesn't always mean the bad guy stops fleeing. Not a fan of spike strips/stop sticks unless there are concrete bridge abutments to deploy them from behind or you do it from the far side of a physical divider.
There are a couple of SCOTUS cases I'd kick around for this. One of them started with a speed violation, after driving on the wrong side of the road, running stops, etc it ended with an 80MPH ram into some trees and a paralyzed suspect. Another involved suspected DUI, a high-speed pursuit, threats to shoot the cops, a request to use deadly force, and the denial of that request by a supervisor which resulted in a fatal shooting.
eta: idunnmobile posted while I was typing. His post answers a couple questions.
From the picture of the Trooper, he looks like he’s 16. Man, I am getting old.
Unsure the best scenario or decisions but man that is some bad ass footage and I am stoked that Trooper more or less walked away. That was some Dukes of Hazard studio lot air time and not the fake ass model stuff.
Holy cow. Trooper Ellis has balls of steel. Hope he makes a swift and full recovery.
Based on the actions of the truck swerving into oncoming traffic, I think the trooper did the right thing. I'd high five the man.Originally Posted by Mark D
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
Just the good ol boys, never meanin no harm!
Works for me.
#RESIST
I am glad he did that before there were injuries. But a question. Shouldn't the trooper have hit his brakes as soon as the truck got close to 90 degrees?
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