Officer Performs PIT Manoeuvre To Stop Murder Suspect In 100mph Chase

This is the moment a patrol officer uses a precision ramming manoeuvre to spin a fleeing car off a busy motorway and end a high-speed pursuit of a man wanted over a deadly shooting.

The footage was obtained from the Gwinnett County Police Department in Gwinnett County, in the US state of Georgia, on 10th June and shows the incident, which took place on 19th April.

Dash camera footage shows the chase climbing beyond 161 kph (100 mph) before the officer spins the suspect's car to a halt with a pursuit intervention technique near the point where Interstate 985 branches off Interstate 85.

Officer R. Brannon received the alert from a Flock automated number-plate camera while on patrol, warning that a car linked to a murder suspect from a neighbouring agency was close by.

He signalled for the vehicle to pull over, but the driver ignored him and sped away, according to Gwinnett County police.

The driver, named as Charles Nichols, was found to be subject to active homicide warrants from another jurisdiction.

Officer Brannon said over the radio: "Route 22, we're southbound on 85, I've got him at gunpoint. Driver door is opening."

The drama began more than 96 kilometres (60 miles) away in Henry County, where officers had responded to a shooting at a business off Distribution Drive near McDonough at around 9 pm.

A woman was found dead in the car park, and investigators named Nichols as a person of interest before tracing the car he was driving, Henry County police said.

About 80 minutes later, the Flock camera flagged the same car in Gwinnett County, allowing officers to move in.

A "Flock camera" is shorthand for an automated licence plate reader (ALPR) made by Flock Safety, a US public-safety tech company whose cameras are now the dominant ones of their kind across America.

Master Police Officer Brock Marks, of Gwinnett County police, said: "Officers have to take extra precautions when dealing with someone with a warrant of that severity."

The Gwinnett County Police Department said in a statement on 10th June: "On April 19, Officer R. Brannon #2686 received a Flock camera alert that a vehicle associated with a homicide suspect from another agency was nearby in the area he was patrolling. Officer Brannon located the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop.

"A pursuit followed, and once it was safe to do so, Officer Brannon performed a successful PIT maneuver to bring the chase to an end. Officers then made contact with the driver, Charles Nichols, who was found to have active homicide warrants out of another jurisdiction.

"A Flock alert helped ensure a quick response, which led to the arrest of a homicide suspect."

(Joe Golder/Clipzilla/NX)