Border Patrol agents intentionally rammed their vehicle into a car they were pursuing on Chicago's Southeast Side on Tuesday, causing the car to spin and crash.
The maneuver, known as a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, is a driving tactic used by some law enforcement agencies to end a vehicle pursuit.
However, some law enforcement professionals, legal experts and advocates say the move is ineffective and dangerous. Many police departments across the country, including the Chicago Police Department, bar or limit their officers from using the maneuver.
The crash on Tuesday was met with an angry response from community members, who gathered and protested at the site, leading to a confrontation with federal officers who used tear gas on the crowd.
The feds' use of PIT is another example of the aggressive immigration enforcement tactics they brought to Chicago. It also raised questions about the use of the maneuver in the Chicago area. We collected some answers to these questions.
What is a PIT maneuver?The first step of a PIT maneuver has the law enforcement car match the speed and ride alongside the target vehicle.
The pursuing officer then makes contact with and steers into the rear quarter panel of the fleeing vehicle.
In a successful PIT, the maneuver will cause the target vehicle to spin sideways and stop, ending the pursuit.
But in many instances, especially at faster speeds, the tactic could cause the target to crash into nearby cars, like it did in Chicago on Tuesday, trees and other roadside objects, or even passersby.
Is PIT dangerous?While the PIT maneuver continues to be used by some police departments, there are many documented instances in which the tactic caused crashes and fatalities.
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