It’s already stressful when your child is sick, and you’re taking them to the hospital at a mildly accelerated pace. That stress level ratchets up just a little bit when a state trooper protects and serves by spinning you into a concrete wall and pulling you from the car at gunpoint. That’s exactly what happened to Dillon Hess, reports the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, with his entire family along for the wild ride.
On February 20, one of Hess’s sons suffered from an allergic reaction. He had used an epipen, but the child was still in distress, so Hess, his wife, and two boys, ages 3 and 1, were on their way to the hospital. Arkansas State Trooper Amber Cass noticed their Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling at the blistering pace of 70 mph in a 60 mph zone. She activated her emergency lights around Exit 3B to pull Hess over, who instead turned on his flashers and did not stop. The pursuit that posed absolutely no threat to public safety continued for about a mile and a half to Exit 2B, where Cass performed a PIT maneuver and pinned the Jeep against the center divider. She ordered Hess out of the car at gunpoint and handcuffed him while he tried to explain the situation.
Was this really necessary?
In her report, Cass justifies her actions because she didn’t know the driver’s intentions, and because he was approaching heavier traffic ahead. “Fleeing in a vehicle is viewed as an inherently dangerous crime (by the courts) regardless of the speeds involved,” wrote Cass…