A car thief’s high-speed joyride came to a violent end after he crashed his ill-gotten Porsche. Police deployed stop sticks to halt the speeding performance car, although the criminal’s driving errors are ultimately what brought the police chase to a screeching end. 

The violent car crash conclusion to a police chase involving a stolen Porsche divided viewers’ opinions

In a video with nearly 200,000 views, Detroit-area police officers intervened to stop a high-speed chase on I-75. But this wasn’t some delinquent wanna-be stunt driver in a Dodge Charger or Nissan Altima. The suspect was joyriding at triple-digit speeds in a stolen Porsche 911.

Grand Blanc Police Department officers reportedly spotted the German-made performance car on the highway as it moved at breakneck speeds. Needless to say, police cruisers are hardly up to the task of keeping pace with a modern 991 or 992 Porsche 911. The cops needed another solution. 

Enter the “stop sticks.” You’ve likely heard of a spike strip, the common tire deflation device (TDD) made of a row of spikes or barbs. Well, the stop sticks are a similar concept. A target vehicle rolls over the stick, exposing tires to sharp, hollow tubes. The tires deflate, and voilà, the vehicle slows to a stop. At least, that’s how police officers intend for things to go.

In this case, the car thief swerved to avoid the stop sticks. Granted, he succeeded, missing the tire-slashing tools by feet. However, he failed to regain control of the Porsche. Moments later, the police chase comes to an end when the white sports car veers off the road, crashing in a cloud of smoke.

At a glance, the crash looks almost certainly terminal. Still, and miraculously so, the car thief lived through the ferocious impact. However, he did sustain serious injuries in the wreck.  

The end to the car crash divided opinions. “Poor car,” one viewer posted. “Why is this legal? How is this not attempted murder?” “DPD just murdered someone for a car, full stop.” While the comment suggests that the viewer didn’t read about the aftermath, it still highlights their disappointment with the officers’ actions. 

Other viewers applauded the actions taken by the cops to stop the fast-moving Porsche. “Imagine putting the blame on the police instead of the person who was putting hundreds of lives at risk and already committed multiple felonies,” an angry poster commented.