Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ Happy
I would imagine that quite often the person who speeds off when a police officer only wants to give them a ticket for a 'minor infraction' has already done something seriously wrong and really doesn't want to get caught. Ted Bundy anyone?
|
I would also imagine the vast and overwhelming majority are not serial killers, like Bundy. Just people who panic because they did something stupid.
Let's turn it around. When is a police officer justified in drawing and firing his weapon? In most jurisdictions, he can only do so when there is a clear and imminent danger to the public - he can't shoot through a crowded shopping mall at a shoplifter.
Here we have a similar situation, only with vehicles (which probably kill more people than firearms every year).
I'm about the biggest supporter of law enforcement you'll find - at least half my friends are cops - but they don't have carte blanche. I think the only thing that is grey with this case is the fact that the officer had called off the chase a few seconds beforehand.