The Missouri State Highway Patrol has released dash cam footage from a Boone County pursuit that escalated from a PIT maneuver into a shooting in a matter of seconds. The corporal performing the PIT wasn’t hit, but the situation escalated just the same. The agency released the clip about a month after the incident, and now it’s viewable in its entirety.
According to the Highway Patrol, the chase took place on May 7 along Highway 63. The corporal was pursuing a light-colored SUV connected to a homicide investigation. Two people had been shot north of Columbia earlier that day, and the driver of the SUV had been identified as a suspect in the case.
The dash cam footage shows the corporal pulling alongside the SUV to begin the maneuver. The cars made contact and spun across the highway shortly afterward. According to the agency’s narration that can be heard in the video, the suspect started firing during the spin.
The PIT maneuver eventually pushed the SUV off the road and into a ditch. Officers approaching the scene found the suspect dead inside the vehicle when they approached. According to he Highway Patrol, the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
What the Released Video Shows
The agency’s footage runs about 30 seconds and stitches together three angles: the dash camera, in-car view, and trooper point-of-view. It covers the maneuver from the cruiser’s exterior view. The in-car camera shakes hard enough to lose focus at the moment of impact, which is enough to see how forceful the moment was.
The red circles that can be seen in the video mark several bullet impact holes on the side of the patrol vehicle. A later cut shows the corporal outside the cruiser with his weapon drawn. Each phase of the encounter is clearly visible in the short but graphic footage.
What Happened Before the PIT Maneuver
The pursuit had been underway for some time before the corporal closed in for the PIT, according to the agency’s account. Troopers deployed spike strips along the route in an attempt to disable the SUV. The strips slowed the vehicle but didn’t stop it.
When the spike strips failed to end the pursuit, the corporal moved to the PIT. That brought the patrol vehicle within feet of the SUV for the first time in the chase. The Highway Patrol said it released the video to give the public a closer look at the dangers troopers face during high-risk pursuits.