Cops spin out car thieves
November 29th, 2007, 12:43 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Gary Grado
A Mesa police officer used a special driving manuever to stop suspects who were fleeing in a stolen car Wednesday.
According to a Mesa police summary of the incident, an officer found a stolen truck about 7 p.m. in the 1000 block of South MacDonald and followed it to Pasadena Circle and Broadway Road, where he and other officers tried to make a traffic stop.
The truck took off and hit a car stopped in the turn lane on Broadway Road.
An officer stayed on the truck’s tail to Pomeroy, where the truck’s driver swerved into the patrol car as the officer positioned himself for a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver.
PIT is when an officer uses the front end of the police car to drive into the rear panel of the suspect car and causing it to spin, said Detective Chris Arvayo, Mesa police spokesman.
The officer managed to use the technique on the truck. Another officer came up and boxed in the truck.
The suspects were arrested and booked on charges of aggravated DUI, aggravated assault on police and auto theft.
