MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – In late November, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was chasing who he thought was a reckless driver.
He executed a textbook use of the precision immobilization technique, better known as a “PIT” maneuver, but they normally aren’t used against other law enforcement officers.
The incident happened on Nov. 29th when FHP received reports of a car that fled a traffic stop and was driving recklessly.
After a bit of driving and following directions from dispatch, the trooper got behind a dark-colored Kia and began to follow.
They exited State Road 826 and continued eastbound onto Northwest 167th Street before making a left turn to go north on Northwest 12th Avenue.
Then, right as they approach Park Centre Boulevard, the trooper pulled up next to the Kia and performed the pit.
Afterwards, the driver of the Kia leaned over and turned on his own red and blue lights. It turns out, it was the wrong car.
Instead of stopping the fleeing driver, the trooper spun out an Opa-locka police captain.
FHP is doing an internal investigation into the incident, but there are still a lot of questions to answer, including why the Opa-locka officer was driving without his lights on, or how did the trooper have so little information that he ended up stopping a completely different vehicle than the one he was supposed to be pursuing, and whether there will be any discipline for either officer.
Local 10 News has asked those questions and is still waiting for the answers as of the time of this story’s publication.
FHP Executive Director Dave Kerner released this statement on Friday:
Regarding the incident in question, the State Trooper who performed the PIT maneuver is neither under investigation for wrongdoing nor is he facing any possible discipline.
The Trooper had a well-founded and reasonable belief that a violator was fleeing and eluding a lawful order to stop, and the Trooper performed his duties with professionalism and precision.
Police work is a challenging profession, and State Troopers are trained and trusted to make difficult decisions under the most challenging of circumstances.