So, what exactly is the problem here? It sounds like they managed to disable his vehicle without endangering anyone, including the suspect.
Why is him shooting himself their problem?
Nobody drives 100mph in traffic “without endangering anyone.”
Dude made it 60 years without killing himself, so my wild guess is that shooting himself Thursday evening had something to do with the chase and the capture.
Those are both actions taken by the suspect though, why should the police be responsible for that?
Because this man, wanted for a traffic violation, did not chase himself.
So what do you think the police should have done, in that case? And why should his decision to drive recklessly be their problem?
Hundreds of Americans are killed every year by police chases, and they’re not all cops and perps — often they’re folks who unluckily found themselves at the wrong intersection when a car spun out of control.
What the police should’ve done in this instance, and should do whenever someone flees from something insignificant like a traffic violation, is let them go. They’ve got a license plate, and can simply mail a ticket (and add extra charges for fleeing an officer).
If they’ve got a mad bomber or serial strangler, that’s different and a chase is warranted. For traffic violations, it’s simply not worth the risk.
Nah, it sounds like their existing procedures worked well in this case, they managed to spike the vehicle and bring it safely to a stop.
What happened afterwards is entirely the responsibility of the suspect.
Mailing the ticket just means they can report the vehicle stolen, you kinda need to actually catch the driver to nail them.
