I’ve never seen law enforcement use a pit maneuver on a fleeing tractor, and this wasn’t on my list of crazy things people do for the year.
In Vancouver, Canada, someone driving a tractor tried to outrun two British Columbia Highway Patrol (BCHP) SUVs on Saturday. The police attempted to use a PIT maneuver, and the back tire of the tractor caught the side of the SUV, causing the tractor to flip.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the tractor was “possibly involved in a protest.”
I’d like to know what was going through the trooper’s mind right before he pulled alongside the tractor, looking at the tire higher than his vehicle’s roof.
Usually, a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) will cause a vehicle to spin 180 degrees and stop. The tractor tire was bigger than the pursuing vehicle, and when it caught the side of the police SUV, it rolled.
This isn’t quite what they designed the maneuver for, but it stopped the guy from getting away. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.