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[zard0z]

Doesn't say anything in the Article about "why" they were being chased...?

[Uncle Rico]

How often does a high speed pursuit end well?  Yeah, the kids were in the wrong since the driver was unlicensed, but I'm not sure that a high speed pursuit is the right thing to do.  Luckily no innocent bystanders were hurt or killed.

[Mayonnaise]

According to the story in M.E.N:

The teens first came in contact with police while driving on Stewart Rd. just west of N. Monroe St. around 2 a.m. A sheriff's deputy noticed the car was weaving and had almost struck a curb.

The officer turned on his overhead lights to stop the car, which pulled into the Meijer parking lot. Suddenly, deputies said, the Honda accelerated, jumped a curb and got back onto westbound Stewart.

[eaglepride]

How often does a high speed pursuit end well?  Yeah, the kids were in the wrong since the driver was unlicensed, but I'm not sure that a high speed pursuit is the right thing to do.  Luckily no innocent bystanders were hurt or killed.

I agree, those high speed police chases usually end bad. Most of the time they are chasing them for some minor offense endangering everybody else. They had the description of the car and possibly the license plate since they were following them for a bit before they took off. The police could have backed off a little. What happens is that the adrenalin gets going and the police lose sensibility. Especially if it is a police officer with an aggressive personality. Same thing happens in some of those police beatings.

Not that all that happened in this case. The point is that it sometimes does.

[the nosh]

or maybe they threw a bottle at the police car!

[eaglepride]

or maybe they threw a bottle at the police car!

Exactly! 

[BigRedDog]

I agree eaglepride.  There must be some criteria they should have to meet before they can start a pursuit.  A few years ago there was a sheriff's dept. pursuit of a young girl who also had taken her parent's car without their permission.  Very early am I believe...   They went into pursuit because she was driving without her headlights on.  End result, she was killed.

and Uncle Rico...   what about the 16 yr old girl who was killed...   it's entirely possible she was totally innocent and did not even know the driver was under age!!!

[eaglepride]

Bump.

Thought I would get this one above the other, since that other car chase is old news.

[zard0z]

Here is the problem I have with high speed chases...It endangers everyone on the road, no matter what time of day it is...If the police officer is able get the license plate number during the chase, then there is no further need to push the running driver, just go to their house and wait for them...I understand that this might not work if the car is reported stolen though...

[chris]

Here is the problem I have with high speed chases...It endangers everyone on the road, no matter what time of day it is...If the police officer is able get the license plate number during the chase, then there is no further need to push the running driver, just go to their house and wait for them...

well, the main point of chasing a vehicle that refused to stop is that you dont know why they are running.  they could be drug dealers, murderers, etc.  and it they know the cop has their license plate, they are not just going to "drive home". 

and this is in no way the cop's fault.  the cop did not make the kid steal his dad's car.  the cop did not make the kid start running from the police.  the cop did not tell the kid he had to drive 100 mph on back roads.  like i said, you dont know why the person is running, and thats why prodecure says they have to follow the car.  if you want to blame anyone for the girl's death and the other kid's injuries, blame the retart kid that thought it would be a good idea to take his dad's car for a joyride and then try to outrun the police by driving 100mph on rough back roads. 

[zard0z]

  and this is in no way the cop's fault.

It never is...Even when they shoot innocent people...!



After all this was nothing more than a teenager joyriding his dads car, as you say...I wonder if the cop feels he has done the community a service chasing down such harden crimminals...

[chris]

It does not change the fact that they were "chased"

it wasnt the cops fault the kid RAN.  the kid could have stopped like you are supposed to and the chase wouldnt have happened.

He too could have dropped back, after getting the license plate number and perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided!

and again, the cop didnt know why the car was running.  it could have been a murderer, a drug dealer, a rapist.  thats why procedure is to chase the car until the supervising officer calls it off.

[Trisha]

According to the MEN article, the car was going at a high rate of speed before the officer could begin the pursuit.  Two miles down the road the Honda crashed (near Reinhardt).  Apparently, there could not have been that long of a pursuit by the cops. 

[zard0z]

it could have been a murderer, a drug dealer, a rapist.

Where do you live, Detroit...?   Keep in mind that this happened in Monroe, and I'm pretty sure that the cop "knew" what he was following...A car full of kids...They are trained to assess a situation for possible threats are they not?

According to the MEN article, the car was going at a high rate of speed before the officer could begin the pursuit.  Two miles down the road the Honda crashed (near Reinhardt).  Apparently, there could not have been that long of a pursuit by the cops. 

After reading that, doesn't sound like there was much of a "chase" to speak of...Only a dumb *** behind the wheel...I never said it wasn't the drivers fault by the way...!  I just don't like people jumping to the defence of law enforcement when people lives and property are endangered by hot headed cops, and Monroe is full of them...!

[chris]

Where do you live, Detroit...?   Keep in mind that this happened in Monroe, and I'm pretty sure that the cop "knew" what he was following...A car full of kids...They are trained to assess a situation for possible threats are they not?

umm, i dont know where you have been hiding all your life, but monroe is full of drug dealers.  being between detroit and toledo, and being along a highway that runs all the way to florida, there are a lot of drugs ran through this county.  and there are murderers and rapists loosein the county as well, maybe not a lot of them, but they are there.  thats why a cop doesnt know who he is pulling over and if a car runs from him, they usually have a pretty good reason (i.e. they are hiding drugs or have a warrant out for their arrest).