A Garland, Texas police chase became too risky so the cops backed off and let their aviation unit handle the pursuit from above. That’s generally how it is done nowadays. The bad guy who reportedly fled from a traffic stop persisted until he thought he got away. Seeing no cops behind him any longer and now in the neighboring city limits of Dallas, he pulls into a 7-11 parking lot and waits approximately five minutes to make sure he is in the clear. Assured he pulled one over on the police, he exits his dark-blue van, casually struts across the parking lot and into the 7-11 for a Big Gulp or whatever.
What myopic-man didn’t consider was the helicopter above him staying with the chase and observing his every move while police pilots radio to ground units where their man is. Much like a police canine getting the last bite of a criminals arrogance, police choppers are formidable and imperative pieces among the law enforcement arsenal which help get the job done effectively and safely. No need for a phalanx of police cruisers screeching through city streets when the bird can do that from above, then lead ground units to the flee-bag’s position after exiting the getaway car.
Because of their generally substantial cost, police helicopters are ordinarily only afforded by the metropolis police agencies in the country. Not to worry; the smaller cop shops typically have signed “mutual aid agreements,” meaning they request and receive such equipment when the need arises. My agency borrowed choppers when situations such as police chases of, say, wanted homicide suspect(s) warranted the need to continue the pursuit but in the safest manner possible. Murder suspects have nothing to lose and throw all caution to the wind. Funny thing is, that wind carries their undoing, as illustrated in the video you just viewed.
“Bad boys, bad boys, watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they come for you?” is how the “COPS” TV series theme song goes, compliments of Inner Circle. Most suspects think when they no longer see cops that they got away with their dirty deeds. Much like their dreadful and sordid lives, they never think to look up…like this guy, even after he had too many guns trained on his sorry self. By the way: all this for fleeing a traffic stop is not the norm. There is likely much more to the story which engendered a call-out of this magnitude.
Incidentally, undercover plainclothes police officers are worth their weight in gold. In the attached video, you saw a flurry of unmarked cars pull in rather simultaneously with the marked Dallas police units. Not going to give away trade secrets here, as officer safety protocols are always etched on the brain cells of cops (active and retired), but I will share that law enforcers blending in with the populace (among which are bad actors) is a saving grace at times. You saw uniformed and plainclothes cops net this guy like there was no tomorrow. Well, the good guys will have more tomorrows, free to walk into a 7-11 for a coffee or whatever. The bad guy may or may not like wearing orange by the time his tomorrow rolled around.
