VIDEO: Watch How an LPD Officer Let a Driver Collide With Him
On Friday, February 25th, the Lubbock Police Department released dashcam footage showing an officer letting a speeding driver on Loop 289 crash into him to slow the vehicle down.
At around 2:40 p.m. on Friday, February 18th, 18-year-old Nikolas Merritt-Voels called 911 saying that his brakes weren't working and that his accelerator was malfunctioning. He was traveling at close to 90 miles an hour.
Officers with LPD responded by blocking traffic from entering the loop and alerted drivers by using their sirens and lights. However, an officer came to a point where traffic was too congested to make room for the speeding vehicle, so he made the decision to let Merritt-Voels collide with him in an attempt to stop the car.
In the footage, which you can watch by clicking here, you can see that immediately after colliding with the officer, Merritt-Voels' vehicle swerved off the roadway and rolled multiple times. He was later transported to University Medical Center with only minor injuries.
The officer apparently hit another vehicle on the road after the collision, and that driver also only suffered minor injuries.
Lubbock police said on their Facebook page that the decision the officer made in that moment "is just one example of the brave decisions our Lubbock Police Officers make every day in order to keep the public safe."
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