What started as a simple traffic stop on a Tuesday morning in Edmond, Oklahoma quickly spiraled into one of those “we can’t make this up” situations that reminds everyone why body cameras exist. Two Edmond Police Department sergeants found themselves in the middle of a high-speed chase, a crash involving one of the largest vehicles on the road, and a suspect who apparently thought his odds were better at 100 miles per hour than they were on the shoulder of a highway.
The incident began when an off-duty police officer spotted a car behaving erratically, with the vehicle speeding and the occupants switching drivers while still on the road. That kind of thing tends to catch a cop’s eye, even when they’re off the clock. The officer followed the car and flagged it down for Edmond PD Sgt. Pratt and Sgt. Morey, who took over from there. What followed was anything but routine.
When officers approached the vehicle, the smell of marijuana was immediate and obvious. The driver denied that anyone in the car had been smoking, which was a bold claim given the circumstances. The responding sergeant wasn’t buying it, later noting on camera that both the driver and passenger were clearly impaired. His assessment was blunt and direct: he was getting both of them out of the car.
The Edmond Police Department shared body and dash cam footage of the incident on Facebook, giving the public a front-row seat to how quickly a traffic stop can go sideways. The video became a notable example of what officers encounter on a regular basis and why having cameras rolling matters more than ever.
What Happened During the Traffic Stop
Pulled over on the side of the highway, the driver was asked repeatedly to step out of the vehicle. The sergeant also told him to put out his cigar before exiting. Instead of complying, the driver made a decision that made everything significantly worse: he hit the gas and took off.
What followed was a police chase that reached speeds over 100 miles per hour. The driver tore down the highway, apparently under the impression that outrunning two veteran police sergeants was a realistic outcome. It was not.
How the Chase Came to an End
The vehicle eventually clipped a row of trash cans along the side of the road, which slowed it down considerably. Then, in what can only be described as an extraordinary stroke of bad timing, the driver turned left directly into oncoming traffic. The car collided head-on with a semi-truck.
Commenters on the Edmond PD Facebook post were quick to note the absurdity of the moment, with one pointing out that the driver had somehow managed to avoid every other vehicle in the area and still managed to find the biggest one on the road. The crash left the car badly damaged, with the door barely able to open afterward.
What Happened After the Crash
With the car crumpled against the front of the semi, officers drew their weapons and ordered the driver out. The man said he could not feel his legs, and medical personnel were called to the scene. According to Edmond PD, no one other than the driver and his passenger was injured in the incident, which given the speeds involved and the nature of the collision, is genuinely remarkable.
Sgt. Pratt and Sgt. Morey were both recognized by the department for their response throughout the situation, handling a rapidly changing and dangerous scenario with composure.
What We Can Learn From This Incident
Beyond the obvious lesson that fleeing from police at triple-digit speeds is a terrible idea, this incident highlights a few things worth paying attention to. Off-duty officers remaining alert and reporting dangerous driving played a direct role in getting the situation addressed before it became even more dangerous. The driver’s behavior before the stop, switching seats with a passenger while the car was moving and speeding, put everyone around them at serious risk.
The body and dash cam footage also serves an important purpose. Transparency tools like these give the public an accurate look at what officers face, and they provide an unfiltered record of how incidents unfold. In this case, the footage also showed the professionalism of the responding sergeants, who stayed calm and focused even as the situation escalated well beyond a standard traffic stop. The fact that bystanders walked away unharmed, despite a 100 MPH chase ending in a collision with a semi-truck, is the one piece of this story that actually went right.