An Arkansas State Police (ASP) trooper is retiring after mistakenly executing a PIT maneuver on the wrong car. Video from the trooper involved in the crash, Cpl. Thomas Hubbard’s dashcam, captured the entire event as he forced an innocent driver in a Cadillac into the ditch. It serves as one more indictment on the questionable way that the ASP uses the tactic.
ASP officers might be the biggest fans of the PIT maneuver in the country. At least that’s the way it seems as they use it, on average, about twice a week according to data from 2018 through 2021.
Generally speaking, it’s considered a dangerous tactic as it can lead to rollovers and even injure the officers involved. Unlike many departments that require a chase to be below speeds of around 35 mph (56 km/h), the ASP incorporates PIT maneuvers at any speed, including those above triple digits.
More: Police Catch Fleeing BMW Driver After Spectacular Pit Maneuver At 128 MPH
In this case, it wasn’t just the PIT maneuver itself that was dangerous but the complete lack of judgment by the trooper in question. According to local news station KARK, the officers were chasing two different vehicles including a white four-door sedan. The video shows Hubbard begin pursuit after just such a car speeds past him.
As soon as he reaches the first white four-door sedan in his view, a Cadillac, he uses the PIT maneuver despite the fact that the driver was braking and pulling over. It’s also worth noting that there was a car just ahead and behind the Cadillac, so collateral damage was certainly possible.
According to the report, both occupants inside the Cadillac were okay as was Hubbard. For this violent and reckless act, Hubbard is out of a job but he wasn’t fired. He retired, likely with whatever benefits come along with that as though this whole thing never happened.