1982 CHP Mustang E870255

[Steve]

I haven't posted any stories for a long time, but after getting those plates, and working on 0327 today, I feel inspired.

One hot summer afternoon, July or August, 0255 and I were patrolling on freeway Interstate 5 when I decided to stop a speeder. We were in the middle of nowhere, 30 or 40 miles from civilization, so there was no fill or backup available anyway, but since the subject vehicle had an out of state plate I gave dispatch my location and asked for a rolling check for wants as we prepared to stop the vehicle. Within seconds dispatch came back that the vehicle was reported to be stolen.

I activated the red spotlight and to my surprise, the violator yielded almost immediately to the shoulder and stopped abruptly. 0255 was not even completely stopped when the sole-occupant driver exited the vehicle and took off running into an almond orchard next to the highway. I put out that I was in foot pursuit, yanked 0255's parking brake on and took off after him. He had a couple hundred feet head start as I headed into the orchard. It was a very hot day, 105 degrees in the shade, and although I was wearing the short sleeve shirt, I was also wearing a protective vest. Soon I was sweating like a toad and although I was young and in very good shape, I was running out of steam in a short time. I knew this was going to be an endurance event. There was really nowhere to run or hide; whoever gave up first would lose. Fortunately I could keep the perp in visual sight as I closed on him, and the trees weren't big enough to give him a chance to hide and ambush me if he had a weapon. Finally, he became exhausted and collapsed flat on his back in the dirt. As I ran up to him I could see him laying there, beet red, soaked with perspiration, gasping for breath. He didn't have the energy left to fight if he even had wanted to. He gasped "Just go ahead, shoot me!"

"Nope", I replied, "Way too much paperwork." I rolled him onto his stomach, cuffed him, got him up on his feet, searched him, then began the march back to 0255. Towed the recovered veh, then we headed to Los Banos city jail.

From the time the foot pursuit started until the time we were back must have been 20 minutes or more. Both the subject veh and 0255 had sat there on the shoulder, running the whole time. I wonder how that must have looked to passing traffic, the two vehicles sitting there with no one around, no one even in sight. I was glad no one stopped to take 0255 for a test drive. The truckers probably knew what was going on, they always did...for 20 miles in each direction.

[chp1982]

These cars have amazing stories but most are unknown. Thanks for sharing so many of yours.

[NoDrama43]

Lol...great story. I was ina few foot pursuits in my career. If I didn't get them in the first hundred yards...I didn't get them at all. Even the fat ones.....lol

[28HopUp]

Thanks for sharing that story!

[Steve]

Originally Posted by NoDrama43

Lol...great story. I was ina few foot pursuits in my career. If I didn't get them in the first hundred yards...I didn't get them at all. Even the fat ones.....lol

Yes, every once in a while we talk about that when I am working in LE. Now that I'm older if they want to run, they're gone. Bring in the tracking dogs. Foot pursuits are a young man's job...

[NoDrama43]

Originally Posted by Steve

Yes, every once in a while we talk about that when I am working in LE. Now that I'm older if they want to run, they're gone. Bring in the tracking dogs. Foot pursuits are a young man's job...

I had four foot pursuits in 2008.

All drunk....REAL drunk....I got all four but was only 100% that year because 9 years ago my agency still allowed us to use the Taser on mopes running from us. That changed after CPD tased a guy running and he fell on the pavement and broke out all his teeth...

The very first time a Taser was used in my department was when I Tased an idiot on the roof of a house because he was refusing to come down. Watching him roll off the roof and fall into a bunch of thorny rose bushes will be forever etched in my brain. His screams were epic......like music to my ears....

Of course the paperwork was endless....and the excessive use of force investigation sucked.....but the local news channels provided us with some awesome video.....

the last 8 years of my career the only "foot" pursuits I participated in were the ones where the mope ran down the road and I could drive my car....

[Steve]

Mac88chp posted some photos of wrecked SSP 0391 today. Looking at those photos reminded me of a summer evening in Los Banos when 0255 (and me along with it) almost met our end by traffic collision.

It was evening on Interstate 5, about two hours left until sunset, traffic was light, when I observed a motorcycle stopped on the shoulder ahead. As I pulled in behind I noticed the rider had some tools and was working on it. I exited and asked if he needed any assistance; I'd be happy to call for a tow or give him a ride into town (about 25 miles) if that would help. He declined, stating that he had the tools and was sure he could fix it and would be on his way soon.

I returned to 0255 and seat belted in, then was making an entry into my activity log when I looked up into the rear-view mirror and observed a vehicle partially in the right lane approaching, at freeway speed, that had drifted about 3/4 of the way onto the shoulder. The driver was looking to the right and down, was distracted, and apparently had his left hand on the steering wheel so when he turned and looked to the right it caused the wheel to steer slightly to the right and now the vehicle was coming directly at us at freeway speed. I knew that the small, lightweight Mustang did not have enough size and mass to protect me from such an impact. I knew that when it hit it was going to be all over; we were likely both finished. As the errant vehicle approached, I had only enough time to say "Oh, shit!"... and then, miraculously, at the last possible moment in time the driver looked up and saw what was about to happen. I'll never forget the look of surprise and terror on his face as he yanked the steering wheel to the left. The vehicle fishtailed, with the rear end swerving toward us, but the change in direction was just enough so that it didn't hit 0255. The driver overcorrected to the right and his vehicle again went almost sideways, in the other direction. After a few more swerves he got it under control again. I composed myself and immediately chased it down and made a stop. I needed to know why this happened; perhaps this driver was impaired.

He pulled over immediately. As I made contact, the driver was visibly shaking. Frankly, I don't know who was more traumatized; me or him. I said, "We both know what happened back there. Why?" He stammered and began apologizing profusely, stating he had dropped something onto the floor on the right side and was leaning over to pick it up and didn't realize his vehicle had drifted. He was obviously not intoxicated, and his documents checked out, so I told him I didn't think he needed a lecture on paying attention and avoiding distractions; the point had already been made. He then went on his way.

I walked back to 0255, waiting patiently as always, and I thought again about how close we had come. 0255 would have been destroyed, and if I hadn't been killed I probably would wish afterwards I had been. Even if I survived it would have been the end of my career and just about everything else. I needed a large coffee after that so we headed North to the Santa Nella truck stop, contemplating the meaning of life the whole way.

[chp1982]

Close call! I have yet to hear of an officer being seriously injured in an '82. I am waiting on the newspaper article about the 0391 crash to find out what exactly happened.