Highway Cop In A Dodge Charger Relates Experience Chasing A Speeding Camaro SS, Says The Latter Is A 'Rocket On Wheels'

Apr 14, 2016 08:52 AM EDT | Vanessa Doctor

A police officer recently had a high-speed chase on the Duluth-Two Harbors expressway. He was driving a Dodge Charger while the assailant was on a Camaro SS. Reportedly, the Camaro was running way past what its maker, Chevrolet, estimated.

Shawn Padden, Deputy Chief of Hermantown Police Department in Minnesota, described the events on the night of Apr. 11, 2016.

In a report by Duluth News Tribune, Padden explained that he was driving his Dodge Charger squad car from McQuade Road to Duluth when his radar suddenly alerted him. He said that the Camaro SS moving toward Two Harbors expressway with an initial speed of 171mph. The number dropped to 168mph and then 143mph.

“When he went by me it was a blur. You get used to seeing people going 65 or 70 and what that looks like. But I've never seen anything like this. It's like a rocket on wheels at that point,” said Padden.

Padden continued that he turned on his lights and siren and began the chase. He had to increase his speed to 135mph to get close enough to the driver so that he could see his lights trailing him.

Fortunately, the driver of the speeding Camaro SS was good enough to pull over as soon as he realized that a cop was following him. Padden joked that it was good that he stopped immediately. Otherwise, they would have ended up in Canada.

The 36-year-old driver from Lakeside told Padden that he was unaware of his speed. There was also an unidentified woman in the passenger seat. Padden explained that the car’s speed at the time was the fastest he has ever encountered. There was no reaction time for that kind of speed and things would have ended badly if they hit anything on the road.

In the end, Padden issued the man a coupon for misdemeanor careless driving, which was higher than the usual traffic offense. Under Minnesota law, if the driver is found guilty of the allegations in the coupon, he may be fined up to $1,000 and jailed up to 90 days. If the driver reached speeds of over 100mph, his driver’s license may be revoked.

The Drive notes that according to Chevrolet, the Camaro 1SS has an estimated top speed of around 160mph. The muscle car features a 6.2-liter V8 engine with 455 horsepower, and can accelerate from 0 to 60mph in just 4.3 seconds, and 0 to 100mph in 9.3 seconds.

More updates and details on the Camaro SS driver’s case are expected soon.

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