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Why people run from the police, even when they’re wanted for serious crimes, still doesn’t make sense to us. After all, any time you drive at high speeds you’re literally putting your life on the line, not to mention the lives of all the other people on the road. Incidents like this fatal police PIT of a reportedly stolen Mustang in Arkansas serve as a reminder of the potential danger.
The pursuit, which took place in Sheridan and involved at least four officers, came to a sudden end when the lead car successfully pitted the pony car. Before that, the previous lead chase vehicle attempted a PIT only for the suspect to slip it and keep going.
On a big straightaway, the Mustang hits some high speeds, although the dashcam doesn’t have GPS info with the speed indicated, so we don’t know exactly how fast it was going. During the pursuit, we see the suspect go onto the shoulder to get around trucks and cross into the paved median as well. In other words, the Mustang driver was being quite reckless.
Probably fearing this suspect would cause a serious if not fatal accident, the lead officer decides to end things. High-speed PIT maneuvers are not only dangerous for suspects but also police since both vehicles can behave in rather unpredictable ways. We’ve seen several examples of this not working out well for either party or even both at the same time.
If you watch closely, the officer PITs the Mustang into a ditch right where there’s a culvert and a driveway. We’ve seen cars launch into the air in this type of situation, which appears to be what happened to the Ford.
By the time the lead car turns around, the Mustang has rolled and is resting on the driver’s side. It takes police a minute to reach the driver in the wreckage, but it’s too late. This is why it’s better to just pull over and face the consequences of your actions rather than run and risk your life.
Image via WhenPigsFly420/YouTube
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