Arkansas State Police have a reputation for being quite aggressive in pursuits and this dashcam footage of a trooper flipping a fleeing GMC Sierra will only pour fuel on the fire. After all, troopers are quite aggressive as they keep on this pickup truck, bringing down all hell on it at the end of the chase.
Watch Arkansas State Police absolutely wreck a fleeing deported felon here.
While plenty of people are saying this is yet another example of how ASP is completely out of control, there is some important context to this chase. The whole thing started when a trooper tried pulling the Sierra over, but obviously the driver didn’t comply.
Running the plates, the trooper realized the driver was wanted for drug trafficking. That helps explain why the guy wasn’t just going to pull over and take the ticket like a normal person. Also, the guy had fled from police two times before in the same month.
As if that isn’t enough, this same guy had a warrant for his arrest out of Texas. Apparently, ten days before he ran from police in Rockwell County. This guy was out of control, having put countless people in danger on multiple occasions already. That might have put ASP a bit on edge, which is like blowing in a Rottweiler’s ear.
Three troopers try blocking the suspect in with their cars, slowing down the chase. Just as it looks like they’re going to bring the GMC to a halt, the suspect swerves onto the shoulder and punches it. You can see later in the video the lead trooper’s front guard on the passenger side is pretty mangled, plus the truck was damaged as he rammed past the cops. That only escalates the situation.
After trying to lose ASP on the highway, the suspect gets off on surface streets and that’s where things get truly crazy. Doubling back, he races through business parking lots, one of the troopers right on his tail, before rocketing down a two-lane road back toward the highway.
The trooper that’s on him starts pushing on the truck’s rear bumper and its able to get the back tires to break free, sending the truck careening toward the sloped shoulder. The Sierra tips over and the trooper’s cruiser almost does as well, making for one of the best saves we’ve seen in a while. It’s also one of the craziest dashcam videos we’ve seen recently.
Thankfully, the maneuver worked and the chase ended without any innocent bystanders getting hurt. With how recklessly the suspect was driving, it easily could’ve ended poorly.
What do you think? Was the trooper justified in his actions, or was he dangerously out of control of the situation? What should ASP have done with this suspect?
Check out the dashcam footage for yourself, it’s really something (warning: language).