Watch Officer's Ferocious Takedown of Kidnapping Suspect and Swift Rescue of Child
Some nightmares end up with happy endings.
Such was the case recently in Atlanta when Jerrica Moore left her car for a moment with her 9-year-old son inside, according to CNN.
The keys were also inside, which led to panic as Moore saw the car drive away with her child inside.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, initial tracking of the car was done through the ability to track an iPhone in real time.
Then came an all-out pursuit, according to a Facebook post by Fulton County Government.
“At the time of the call the APD Air Unit was unable to assist so the Fulton County Police Air Unit, Air 1, was dispatched to assist with locating the vehicle and child,” the post said.
“Minutes after receiving the call, Police Pilot Champion and Detective Ward with the Fulton County Police Air Unit responded to the area to assist the Atlanta Police Department. Within an hour of the initial call, Air 1 and Atlanta Police were able to locate the vehicle. Once the vehicle was located Georgia State Patrol Troopers were able to perform a PIT maneuver to safely disable the vehicle,” the post said. PIT refers to pursuit intervention technique, a means of shunting a car to the side of the road by impact from a police vehicle.
WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Police Pilot Leroy Champion was one of the officers involved in the chase.
“For me, personally, anytime a kid is involved, your tense level gets up a little bit,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “”You do everything you can to try to find that person. You fly, fly, fly, go get fuel, then fly, fly, fly.”
Before the chase ended, police engaged in a high-speed pursuit, as shown by body camera footage of an officer driving through a neighborhood when he spotted the car and gave chase.
Although the PIT maneuver nudged the car off the road, the incident did not end there.
The footage showed an officer getting the suspect out of the car as other officers comforted the boy.
Police said the child was not injured.
“Not all heroes wear capes. We thank all the officers and agencies involved in apprehending this suspect and getting this child to safety. We are happy to report the child and his mother have been reunited,” Atlanta police said in a statement, CNN reported.
Darius White has been charged with kidnapping, cruelty towards children and theft by taking in relation to the incident.
White has been jailed on a $20,000 bond.
“Police Pilot Champion and Detective Ward’s quick response led to the safe return of a young child. I am proud of the work of these two officers, and I am grateful we were able to assist our law enforcement partners in swiftly resolving this case,” Fulton County Police Chief W. Wade Yates said in the Fulton County Facebook post.
Atlanta police also posted the footage on Facebook, with a warning that the language may not be suitable for all people.
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