Running from the police is never a great idea but if one is going to get away with it, a Toyota 4Runner could prove a decent getaway car under certain circumstances. Not only is it wildly reliable but it’s decent off-road too. Despite those attributes, one driver saw his attempt at escaping the law ended when a police cruiser rammed into him.
The Arkansas State Police (ASP) don’t really play nice with suspects who attempt to run. They’ve proven that they’re willing to pit suspects at very high speeds and they’ve proven that they have the technical skills to be very articulate with their police cars. In this case, though, the arresting officer appears to have just decided to use brute force as his main stopping tactic.
In the video below, we see ASP Trooper Joshua Porter begin to pass a black Toyota 4Runner before he inexplicably slows down, pulls in behind the SUV, and attempts to initiate a traffic stop. The Toyota driver pulls over but drives away as Trooper Porter begins to approach the car.
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The chase begins on the highway but the Toyota driver soon exits the highway. He comes into the turn too hot though and drives over a grassy median, through both perpendicular lanes, and then over another grassy area. The 4Runner itself handles the abuse like a champ but instead of leaning into that off-road capability, the driver jumps back on paved roads.
Due to traffic, the law enforcement officer drops way back in the chase but the 4Runner still doesn’t escape. The fleeing driver appears to wait until the police catch up before he goes back off-road. It’s too little too late though because as Officer Porter closes in, the Toyota driver gives him an open opportunity to end the chase and Porter takes it. The 4Runner slides out and Porter smashes into the front passenger fender of the SUV.
The chase ends immediately and while there is no police report attached, it’s clear that the driver’s day ended poorly. While this particular effort at evading the long arm of the law failed miserably, we’ve seen recent accounts of some that succeeded. In one instance, a Mustang pulled over only to leave the police in the dust moments later. In another video, we see a Camaro slow down before accelerating out of the frame within 30 seconds. Maybe this 4Runner needed a bigger engine.