Behind the Badge
It seems almost daily there is a police pursuit somewhere in Southern California being broadcast live for public entertainment purposes.
I’ve commented before about whether this need for infotainment serves only to embolden some of these suspects to try and achieve their 15 seconds of fame. On the other hand, like everyone else, I find myself watching whenever one is being broadcast.
On Thursday, I watched as officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department chased a suspect in a white pickup truck for about 45 minutes throughout Southern California freeways and surface streets.
The suspect fled after officers tried to stop him for stealing some tires from a Big O tire store. During the approximately 45-minute pursuit, the suspect clipped two vehicles, drove the wrong way in traffic and ran numerous red lights.
The pursuit was like countless others until the end, when an officer from the Huntington Beach Police Department used a PIT maneuver to disable the suspect’s vehicle.
Turning onto Grand Avenue in Buena Park, the suspect’s truck was spun around by the police unit. With his vehicle disabled, the suspect attempted to flee on foot. Officers immediately chased after him.
Running through a center median, one of the officers closed in only to lose his footing and fall to the ground. The officer didn’t just fall, however. In a graceful move, he rolled back onto his feet and continued the pursuit.
The officer’s roll has been the subject of many comments on social media:
“great ninja roll recovery to ultimately catch the perp.”
“The way that officer hit the ground and bounced right back up made his high school football coach proud. ”
“I like how he rolled out of it like a boss”
The officer displayed some great physical conditioning as he quickly closed ground on the suspect. The driver gave it up at that point, and three officers were able to quickly secure the suspect in a manner that would have made a calf roper proud.
The Huntington Beach Police Department has received hundreds of positive comments on its Facebook page and on the news sites where the video has been posted.
Great job Huntington Beach PD!
Joe is a retired Anaheim Police Department captain. You can reach him at jvargas@behindthebadgeoc.com.
