Arkansas State Police trooper retires after using the PIT maneuver on the wrong driver during pursuit
By: Officials with Arkansas State Police say a trooper has retired following a pursuit on Interstate 40 in St. Francis County in which he crashed into a car “in error.”
ASP officials confirm that the trooper was performing a Tactile Vehicle Intervention, or TVI, during a pursuit near Mile Marker 265 on Sunday, Sept. 10, around 8:30 p.m.
Authorities said the trooper had been pursuing two vehicles reportedly traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph. One of the two vehicles being pursued was a white four-door sedan, just like the vehicle that the trooper crashed into to stop.
Neither the driver nor a passenger in the car struck by the trooper said they were injured. Both declined medical treatment at the scene.
A TVI, also called by some a precision immobilization technique or PIT maneuver, is a technique used by law enforcement to stop suspects during pursuits. In a TVI or PIT, an officer will strike the rear quarter panel of a fleeing vehicle with the front of their own vehicle in order to make it lose control and stop.
ASP officials said they immediately began an investigation into the crash. The trooper involved in the crash, Cpl. Thomas Hubbard, has not been on duty since the incident and has submitted his letter of retirement.