Idaho Cop Shoots Murder Suspect’s Tires Out

We don’t see too many interesting police chases out of Idaho, but this one more than makes up for that. Over and over, we’ve been told by law enforcement how difficult it is to shoot out the tires on a vehicle as it’s fleeing, which is why Stop Sticks and PITs are often used to end pursuits instead. But a sharpshooter Idaho trooper just proved he spends quality time at the range, nailing the tires on this murder suspect’s SUV as he tries getting away.  

Watch a crazy chase where a suspect in a Ram goes off-roading to ditch cops here.

This chase goes up into a mountain canyon on a narrow, two-lane road with a drop-off on one side and steep incline on the other for most of the time. That makes setting up a trooper with spikes impossible since the shoulder is virtually non-existent.

The nature of the road also makes doing a PIT maneuver difficult and risky. The lead trooper mentions his desire to do just that a few times and is cautioned about the dangers over the radio. But every time he tries to move into position the suspect accelerates and spoils the trap or crowds the road and doesn’t let the trooper get anywhere near his rear quarter panels.

Law enforcement involved in this chase already knows this suspect is armed and dangerous. The Ford Explorer he carjacked from a man, pistol whipping the victim before stealing cash and his phone. In addition, the suspect allegedly drove to another man’s house and shot him dead in cold blood. He wounded another man in that shooting. Troopers fear once this pursuit comes to a close, a gunfight will erupt.

One mistake is all it takes to give the trooper an opening. The suspect enters a turn too hot, has to hug the outside of the opposing lane of traffic in a desperate attempt to not run off the road, giving the trooper a nice wide target for a hard-hitting PIT.

However, the Explorer doesn’t leave the roadway and the suspect is able to drive away, but not before the lead trooper shoots out the SUV’s tires, which you can hear as it happens off-camera. As the second trooper catches up, you can see the suspect’s vehicle is leaning to the driver’s side big time thanks to the deflated tires.

That’s when the second trooper PITs the suspect again, hitting him on the passenger side and flipping the Explorer. This is as wild as any Arkansas State Police chase.