Florida Police Chase Wrong-Way Highway Driver Before Pitting Him

Police used a PIT maneuver in the early hours of Sunday morning to stop a driver who was going the wrong way on the highway.

Authorities believe that the driver was heavily intoxicated at the time of the contact. Dashcam caught the action as police hit the suspect’s car twice in order to end the danger he posed.

Video from the interior of a Florida Highway Patrol car shows when a DUI suspect drives by going the wrong way on I-4 westbound. It’s at that point near mile marker 32 that the officer driving that patrol car turns around and gives chase. Despite the time being just after 1:30 a.m., traffic is still present on the roadway.

The pursuing officer wastes little time catching up to the suspect and then uses a PIT maneuver swiftly to spin the Honda out. Despite the quick actions, the car rotates across the lanes of oncoming traffic. It’s somewhat surprising that no third parties hit the suspected DUI driver. Despite the contact, the Honda driver doesn’t stop and continues on in the wrong direction but pulls onto the shoulder.

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At this stage, the FHP officer follows up again and nudges the rear quarter panel of the car as the driver gives up. Shortly thereafter, officers took him into custody. Local news station WTSP reports that the driver of the Honda was a local assistant principal. Evidently, he smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech at the time of the arrest.

Reports also say that he vomited in the parking lot of the Polk County Jail and that said bodily fluid also smelled of alcohol. These details will likely be key in the case against the driver as he refused to submit to breath tests and field sobriety testing. He’s now facing charges of driving under the influence and fleeing/eluding law enforcement. 

Image Credit: FHP