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Of all the vehicles out there we would drive as a fugitive wanted in multiple states, a Mazda3 doesn’t even make the top 20. We know the Mazda fanboys are going to be furious about that statement, but as you’re about to see in this Arkansas State Police dashcam footage, the little hatchback doesn’t have what it takes to ditch the fuzz.
Watch cops grab a reckless rider right off his motorcycle.
Not that we like coaching criminals, but if you’re going to try running from police you need a vehicle that can accelerate like mad and hit high speeds while still handling well.
Sure, a Mazda3 feels “peppy” in city traffic because of a quick throttle response. But take yours on a real drag strip and see what the quarter mile elapsed time is – it’s pathetic.
The suspect driver of course runs from a traffic stop, triggering a big response from not only ASP, but also the police department and local sheriff’s office. Really, the others should’ve just trailed behind the lead trooper and let him take care of business, but they didn’t.
That might have to do with the trooper executing a PIT maneuver while the suspect, who clearly has experience, hitting the brakes, foiling the move. But the little car takes a big hit, and that brings up another thing you need in a getaway vehicle: durability.
To be pursuit rated, police cars have to pass durability tests. If your ride can’t take some hits and keep ticking, well it just won’t have what it takes to get away. That’s especially true as the guy doubles back into the city where the hazards are plentiful.
The only thing really gumming up this pursuit at that point are all the cops. So many of them seem so eager to take down the suspect, they keep getting in each other’s way.
While the Mazda3 gets beat to pieces, three police department cruisers, two sheriff’s cars, and a city vehicle were all damaged in the chase. You can tell the trooper in this pursuit is just hanging back, watching the horror show unfold instead of trying to get into the scrum.
And people say ASP is reckless.
Image via State Boyzzz/YouTube
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