Photo: Hillsborough County Jail
Authorities in Florida said they had to use the PIT maneuver to stop a wrong-way driver under the influence on Thursday (August 25).
Body camera video shows Pinellas County deputies chasing the suspect, identified as 78-year-old Virginia Smith, as she drives eastbound on the westbound lanes of SR-580 in Oldsmar. A deputy can be heard screaming, "Pull over!" at the driver in the footage.
"The elderly female driver almost struck several vehicles, including a semi-truck," PCSO Sergeant Amanda Sinni said in a video statement. "She failed to yield to deputies when they attempted several times to pull her over."
After deputies used the Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver on Smith's vehicle, it appears to slow down significantly before a deputy's patrol car rams it into a stop.
"Thanks to the quick actions of our deputies, there were no injuries and several lives were potentially saved," she explains, adding that Smith admitted to being intoxicated.
She was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail for DUI.
Florida has been home to some interesting cases of drunk driving. One woman was arrested after cops say she was driving a golf cart while under the influence. An off-duty police officer was caught hitting 110 mph while intoxicated.