What’s the fastest you’ve pulled someone over for, but didn’t give a citation or arrest them for anything? And why?

Joe James, Police Officer at Police and Law Enforcement (2013-present) Answered Jun 26 · Upvoted by Edward Sisson, J.D. Law & Litigation and Lawsuits, Georgetown University Law Center (1991) and Niclas Olovsson, M.S.; B.A Law & Informatics, Umeå University (1999)

I stopped a guy for going 150 mph in an Aston Martin Vanquish.

It was around 0200 hours on a deserted Texas Highway. I was blacked out on a ranch road perpendicular to the highway, seated in a Dodge Charger Interceptor. This particular charger had the V8 hemi, and nearly every part of the car had a subdued MOPAR emblem on it.

I see some very bright headlights moving very quickly on the road, I drove closer to the highway and see a very fast looking car blow past me. I wasn't out there to catch speeders, I was there to catch drug/human traffickers. But when a car is moving like that it probably just left the local police in the dust and my dispatcher will be notifying me shortly.

I also happened to be sitting in the fastest production police car ever made at the time, and the only law enforcement officer nearby that could actually chase what blew past me.

So off I go.

80-90-100 the car isn't getting closer. 110 - 120 okay we're getting about even. 130 I'm gaining ground, and we are coming up to a curve that sneaks up on you a bit. My quarry has to slow way down and take a bad line through the curve, so I close to about 50 yards behind him.

We leave the curve and it's 45 miles of dead straight road before a junction. We both hammer it, and I realize nothing has been put out about this car. I don't enforce traffic laws, but I can stop a car for public safety.

We cusp 100 - 110 - 120 - 130 my windshield wipers begin to float just above the windshield and rattle. I hit my lights and siren. 135 and the reflectors are one solid line on the road. 140, holy crap, 150 the airflow over my car is making it shake like a paint mixer. The car I'm chasing lets off the gas and we start to slow down.

The guy knew enough to let off the throttle slowly. We slow back down below 100, and he brakes before pulling over. His window comes down and both his hands shoot out.

“I WASN'T RUNNING I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU TROUBLE DON'T SHOOT ME I'M SORRY.”

I call the stop, car isn't stolen. I order the driver out and this middle aged guy in a polo tucked into cargo shorts, with dad sandals steps out shaking like a leaf.

We have a talk about how unsafe what he did was, but honestly I'm not mad. I got to chase him in a car designed to do exactly that.

He tells me he bought his dream car, and wanted to see what it could do. He figures this was a good time to do it, on a dry night, an empty road, and a full moon. He remarks “I also lost track of time my wife is probably wondering where I am.”

I advise him to call her. He explains where he is. “Yeah I got stopped, no it was by BP not DPS, I was going like 150. Uhh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I dunno, yeah I guess it was a bad idea, hold on I'll ask him. Sir my wife wants to talk to you.”

She apologizes for her husband being “a dipshit who is trying his best to make her a widow" and tells me to take him to jail. I explain that I don't enforce traffic laws, and she asks if I can taser him (can't do that either).

I run his ID, see he's clear, and wish him luck when he gets home.

I cruise my freakin’ sweet Charger back to my hiding spot and have a snack.

Poster Comment:

I bet Bo and Luke Duke are envious.