Supreme Court Says: Police Not Liable For Running You Off Road, Crippling You
Oh, Hoons of the dark side, the day you've feared is nigh! In a decision that really shocks no one, the Supreme Court overwhelmingly sided with the police who "do not have to call off pursuit of a fleeing motorist when they reasonably expect that other people could be hurt." So says Anton Scalia. And seven other top Justices agree with him. John Paul Stevens is the sole dissenter. We say shocks no one because we remember watching our fist LA Freeway chase live on the TV and at the end, the cops shot and killed the guy. In this case, Atlanta sheriff's deputy Timothy Scott rammed Victor Harris's Cadillac off the road and into a ditch. Harris, paralyzed, sued Scott for violating his Fourth Amendment rights. Concludes Scalia, "A police officer's attempt to terminate a dangerous high-speed car chase that threatens the lives of innocent bystanders does not violate the Fourth Amendment, even when it places the fleeing motorist at risk of serious injury or death." Our take?
Running from the cops, while righteous on film, is the new suicide. Interesting side note: The video above is taken from the Supreme Court's own website. As far as we can tell, it is the first video they have ever posted. It truly is a brave new world.
Supreme Court sides with police in chase case [msnbc.com]
Related:
Meshugana of the Day: Cop Tickets Himself | It's the Way of the New World! 'Cobra' Car Chase [Internal]