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Car chases are dangerous, illegal, and all-around bad news (have I qualified my next statement enough?). However, let’s not lie about it; hearing about car chases after the fact, after the danger is passed, can be kind of awesome. They only get exponentially more awesome if the car leading the police is something really goofy like a delivery truck or, wait for it, a tiny Japanese Kei Truck. 

Kei truck in white
Kei truck | Wikimedia Commons

Why did someone try to run from the police in a Kei Car?

Technically, you can run from the police in a Kei car, or in this case, a Kei truck. However, you are almost certainly going to get caught. Turns out Kei cars are extremely tiny and have tiny, underpowered engines. 

As you might have suspected, the video of this adorable car chase shows a spirited battle that ends in defeat for the pint-size perpetrator. According to The Drive, ​​the chase happened on Texas Highway 377 between Aubrey and Pilot Point, Texas, north of Dallas-Fort Worth. 

The chase was led by an adorable 2013 Suzuki Carry Kei truck. This tiny truck is the smallest road-legal truck on the Japanese market. So, imagine how it might do against Texas Police SUVs in a car chase. Not well. 

The details of the chase remain a mystery. Although, local rumors suggest that the Kei truck may have been stolen from the ​​nearby Ray Braswell High School. If this is true, the most likely scenario is that the truck was used as a groundskeeping or some other kind of maintenance vehicle. 

What is a Kei truck?

This is a class of vehicle in Japan that was made for the tight, crowded streets of urban life. These tiny vehicles have strict size, weight, and power restrictions keeping them affordable and practical (and cute). 

The Kei class started in 1949 for the Japanese market only. These vehicles weren’t meant for the global market. In order for a car to qualify for the massive tax incentive in Japan that comes with driving a Kei car, it must not exceed a maximum length of 134 in, a maximum width of 58 in, and a maximum height of 79 in with a maximum displacement of 660CC. 

As the star of the Facebook video found out, Kei cars/trucks are often governed to a max speed of around 70 mph, and getting there takes a while. Although the particular model seen here – the Suzuki Carry – reportedly topped out at 87 mph. However, in Texas, 87 mph simply won’t cut it. 

How did the cute car chase end?

The Drive says that the Grayson County Police scanner indicates that the chase ended in an intersection with the suspect arrested on unknown charges. The car chase is thought to have covered at least 30 miles. Not bad for a Kei truck. 

For such a small, strange vehicle to be involved in a lengthy car chase to end without serious injury or destruction is nothing short of impressive and merciful. 

While we clearly do not condone high-speed chases with the police, watching a Kei truck run from the massive Texas Police SUVs is almost endearing. But it’s definitely cute. 

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