For those who haven’t been following this ongoing saga: there’s a heavily modified black Dodge Charger — almost certainly at minimum a Scat Pack, likely a Hellcat — that has been repeatedly evading Arkansas State Police for months. The vehicle has become something of a folk legend in car enthusiast circles, generating a series of chase videos in which the Charger simply drives away from pursuing state troopers without apparent difficulty. The driver’s discipline about not doing anything stupid beyond outrunning police has kept this from ending badly — so far.
The latest installment in the series saw an Arkansas trooper get considerably closer than previous encounters before the Charger once again made its exit. The near-catch has renewed interest in who exactly is behind the wheel and whether law enforcement is getting any closer to identifying the vehicle’s owner through investigation rather than direct pursuit.
The performance gap that makes these chases one-sided is real and worth understanding. A modified Hellcat Charger can produce 700 or more horsepower with appropriate modifications. Arkansas State Police patrol cars — typically Ford Police Interceptor Utilities or equivalent — are significantly less powerful and not set up for top-speed pursuits. Once the Charger decides to leave, there’s very little a standard patrol car can do to stay relevant in the chase.
Law enforcement agencies have largely adapted to this reality by moving away from high-speed pursuits for non-violent offenses in many jurisdictions. The calculus is straightforward: a high-speed chase that endangers innocent drivers and bystanders is a worse outcome than letting a traffic violator go and investigating the vehicle through other means. Arkansas apparently hasn’t fully adopted that policy given the continued chase footage.
From a pure car-culture standpoint, a highly capable Mopar repeatedly embarrassing police has obvious entertainment appeal. From a public safety standpoint, it’s a situation that eventually ends badly — either through a crash, a spike strip deployment, or an incident involving other drivers who don’t see the chase coming. The blackout Charger saga will end at some point; the question is how.
Give the ASP the tool they need to chase this guy down…..a redeye Hellcat Charger with an oversized fuel tank(they burn a ton of fuel under load)and an overdriven blower on it.
Some high performance driving lessons might be in order as well, along with Z-rated tires to handle high speed pursuits.
The Trooper was more dangerous than the guy in he hell cat at some part the trooper wwas at over 130 mph There is no reason for such a high speed chase when trooper had no cause to know a crime had been committed beyond speeding maybe
They just need a trooper who is a sharpshooter.
Give em Hell Blackout Charger!!! LMAO!!!
Many years ago I had a xs Eleven that could outrun the Louisiana State Troopers and did so!!
Just don’t push your luck👍👍👍!!