When I was working as a Lieutenant for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, I was on duty as the Watch Commander one day. I received a call that Metro officers were in pursuit of a fugitive from California. I tuned my radio to their frequency and learned that a woman had called the police reporting a man who was driving a stolen government vehicle from Los Angeles. He had pointed a gun at her. Our officers spotted the vehicle and the chase was on.
As the Lieutenant my responsibility was to monitor the pursuit and call it off if it became too dangerous and a liability. Because the suspect presented a danger to the public and was a wanted subject out of L.A., it was imperative that he be apprehended for the safety and well being of others. Officers pursued him for 50 miles on the interstate headed to Utah. I radioed ahead and had officers stop traffic while we put the tire spikes across the interstate. When the suspect came to that area and ran over the spikes all four tires were blown. The fugitive quickly came to a stop along the roadside. He was quickly taken into custody without incident and arrested for fugitive-from-justice in connection with the vehicle theft, reckless driving and evading a police vehicle.
With bad guy in custody and everyone safe I headed back to Vegas. It was a good day in the life of a cop!
