In an era where most criminals are committing digital or more undercover crimes, the art of the good old police chase has been lost. It’s daring, dangerous, and makes for an awesome way to go out if you’re, you know, a criminal. We’ve covered a lot of true crime topics, and so, in the spirit of the conversation, I dug up what I believe to be the top five wildest police chases of all time. There’s a huge chance you haven’t heard of a majority of these cases, so strap in and prepare to learn about what not to do when the cops are chasing you.
5. Ryan Stone
There’s a large chance you’ve seen Ryan Stone’s infamous 2014 police chase video. To freshen your memory, the video is taken from a helicopter’s point of view, and details the entire 60 mile chase in which Stone repeatedly gets out of and steals more getaway vehicles before finally being apprehended after being unable to climb a fence. Despite the carjackings already being a terrible crime, one of the cars he took had a four-year-old child in the back seat. Fortunately, he abandoned the car shortly afterward, continuing the pursuit.
Afterward, he was sentenced to 160 years in prison for various carjackings, child endangerment, severely injuring a state trooper, and putting innocent pedestrians in harm’s way. Stone has since revealed that he was under the influence of crystal meth during the incident. However, this just happened to be the last in his lengthy criminal history, dating back to almost a decade ago.
4. Nicholas John Miller
Nicholas John Miller’s run-in with the law wasn’t necessarily more interesting or flashier than any of the others on this list. However, he was pursued by over 11 police vehicles in Jacksonville, Arkansas, after carjacking a school bus that still had 11 children aboard it. Police say just minutes before the theft, a woman called police to report that Miller had just boarded the school bus with the bus driver and children while wielding a knife.
Fortunately, the bus driver, who is only known as Hart in reports, ensured that Miller didn’t have access to the steering wheel. He alleges that the criminal wanted to switch seats with him while they were driving, to which the former declined. Eventually, the 12 mile chase ended, after police were able to stop the bus using spike strips. The children were then safely let off the bus and Nicholas John Miller was arrested.
3. Lou Pizzaro?
No, Lou Pizzaro from Operation Repo was not involved in a high speed police chase. However, he did help end one in 2014! The actual suspect has not been named in the crime, but he was alleged to be stealing a BMW in Van Nuys, California, at the time. Eventually, the carjacker realized that police were in pursuit much faster than he could drive, and decided to continue on foot. Fortunately, he had a skateboard he could use to try and beat the cops.
At the same time, Pizzaro was watching as the skateboarding man was approaching his car from the right-hand side. He could also see that the police were chasing him that dictated something more than just your average California criminal. Instead of waiting for officers to handle things, Pizzaro drove his red truck off the road and toward the carjacker, blocking him on the sidewalk. The act was shocking enough to the criminal that he stopped for long enough for police to catch up and apprehend him.
2. Marvin Heemeyer
Honestly, I was shocked when I read the story of Marvin Heemeyer. Not because it was an insane police chase but because I genuinely would not have known what to suggest if I were an officer facing this situation. In 2004, an automobile muffler repair shop owner used a modified bulldozed to destroy various buildings in Granby, Colorado. Yeah, you read that right; in fact, the image above is the exact bulldozer, nicknamed the ‘Killdozer’ used.
Heemeyer was known to have various grudges against town officials, his neighbors, and others who were less acquainted with his ideologies, despite being well-known as a nice guy. After some back-and-forth with the town because of a dispute concerning zoning and sewage, he broke down and took his Killdozer for a ride. See, he had been armoring the machine for over a year, resulting in a nearly two-hour chase that only ended because the bulldozer got stuck and Heemeyer ended his life.
1. OJ Simpson
This particular police chase holds a sentimental place in my heart because it was all my mother could talk about in the following years. The chase involved former football player OJ Simpson who had been accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend, Ron Goldman. After failing to turn himself in a few days later, the former footballer was involved in a police chase that was broadcast live on television. He had been driving a white Ford Bronco with friend Al Cowlings before finally surrendering to police.
The case shocked the nation, and provided ample material for media coverage, documentaries, books, jokes, and more for decades to come. At this point, if you don’t know about OJ Simpson from some kind of television film, music, or game reference, then you’re honestly missing out on a massive piece of American history.
