A semi-truck driver refused to leave an illegal parking spot in an emergency lane, leading to one odd high-speed chase.
Semi-trucks are often the largest vehicles on American roads and highways. As such, truckers should be setting the example for motorists nationwide. However, this trucker decided the right move was to lead multiple police agencies on a high-speed chase after refusing to vacate an emergency lane in Georgia.
A semi-truck driver is facing multiple charges after refusing to move from an emergency lane, instead leading police on a pursuit
Police in Georgia are likely glad to be done with an ordeal involving a massive and potentially dangerous semi-truck. Law enforcement in Emerson, Georgia pulled up behind a stationary truck on a highway. According to police, the truck was parked in an emergency lane adjacent to a highway ramp.
Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the trucker ignored warnings from police to move the vehicle from its illegal parking spot. Law enforcement returned to the spot later to discover the trucker had not moved his rig. This time, however, the trucker locked himself in the stationary truck. He then put the rig in reverse, backing into a police car on the highway.
As you might imagine, this maneuver initiated a police pursuit of the semi-truck and its obstinate operator. While a pursuit of a giant vehicle might seem silly, a semi-truck can be a uniquely dangerous safety concern for public roads. After all, these rigs can weigh nearly 80,000 lbs and hit 75 mph. That’s a lot of destructive force.
In addition to police officers from Emerson, Fox 5 reports that state troopers, sheriff’s office deputies, and other police officers joined the pursuit. After following the large truck, law enforcement officers (LEOs) decided to deploy a tire deflation device (TDD), also known as a “spike strip.”
The spike strip, just as it sounds, is an array of teeth, barbs, or spikes that puncture tires’ heavy-duty rubber compounds. In this case, the trucker ran over the spike strip, shredding at least one of the truck’s many tires. Eventually, the monstrous vehicle came to a stop. Police say the driver still didn’t relent. After reportedly gesturing and pushing approaching officers away, one of the LEOs on the scene tased the man and took him into custody.