‘Hero’ cops let out-of-control car crash into them to end nail-biting 113mph chase

In a heart-thumping ordeal, a Minnesota teen had the ride of his life when his car’s onboard computer took the wheel, propelling him at a terrifying 113mph over a span of more than 30 miles, only coming to a stop after hero cops decided to absorb the impact.
The chilling scene was caught on camera on September 17, as 18-year-old Sam Dutcher drove through West Fargo, Minnesota, late into the night.
Relaying the harrowing event to WDAY-TV, the young driver recounted the moment he realized something was drastically wrong: “Hey, this thing is accelerating, and my foot is not on the gas.”
Once it dawned on him that he no longer had command over his Honda, the quick-thinking Dutcher phoned 911, leading to a coordinated effort by several Minnesota State Patrol cars to pursue and provide reassurance over the phone, while he remained helplessly at the mercy of the speeding vehicle.
Among the deputies in pursuit was Clay County’s Zach Johnson who, during the terrifying chase captured by the sheriff’s department cameras, queried the out-of-control motorist: “If you hit the brakes, nothing happens? ”
As Dutcher grappled with the chaos inside his car, Deputy Johnson probed further: “Is the accelerator stuck down? … Are you able to push the e-brake and just lock em up? “.
Despite Dutcher’s attempts to turn off the car or shift it into neutral, he explained to Johnson that nothing was working as his vehicle continued to speed down the road at over 100mph.
While the Honda would have eventually run out of fuel due to its high-speed driving, deputies deemed it too dangerous to let the car continue for much longer.
Initially, Johnson proposed using spike strips to puncture Dutcher’s tires and bring the car to a stop, but the in-drive computer had built up so much speed that it wouldn’t be safe.
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The situation became increasingly critical as Dutcher’s runaway Honda approached the small town of Hitterdal, forcing him to navigate through more hazardous streets than the highway.
Minnesota State Trooper Zach Gruver, who was also pursuing the car, stated that his priority was to clear Dutcher’s path to prevent collisions with other vehicles.
“That intersection on Highway 32 is uncontrolled north and south so, at that point, my plan was to get up there and block the intersection so we didn’t have cars coming through when Sam was coming through at 113mph,” Gruver told WDAY-TV.
Footage from a deputy’s cruiser showed Dutcher’s vehicle speeding through an intersection at an alarming rate. The 18 year old admitted that it was around this time he began to fear for his life, recalling: “My mind started to go, ‘I am going to die tonight,” Dutcher recalled.
The Minnesota native was also able to call his mom Catherine, who listened in on the chase while trying to reassure her son and speak with the cops.
Catherine shared with the news channel that she was silently pleading: “God, please don’t kill my kid, please don’t.”
Deputies Gruver and Johnson realized about 30 miles into the chase that they would need to take drastic action due to a T-junction just three miles ahead.
As the dead-end approached, Gruver accelerated and sped ahead of Dutcher’s vehicle, reaching speeds of 130mph to overtake the fleeing car.
“The (police) car tops out at 140,” Gruver noted, adding that he took the lead because he “clearly” had the fastest car, a Dodge Charger.
While on the phone with Dutcher, Johnson instructed him to crash his car into Gruver’s. When Dutcher seemed to question Johnson’s directive, the Clay County Deputy can be heard repeating on the footage: “Yes, run into the back of his car.”
Dashcam footage shows the dramatic end to a high-speed chase when Dutcher’s vehicle collided with Gruver’s, halting the pursuit and potentially saving the teenager’s life. Dutcher later confessed: “It hit me then that this really just happened. At that point, I just started to freak out.”
The cause of the malfunction in the car’s internal computer remains a mystery, as Honda Pilots do not come with a traditional autopilot system. They are, however, equipped with an “adaptive cruise control” feature designed to adjust speed for maintaining safe following distances.
In the aftermath of the harrowing event, Dutcher and his mother expressed their gratitude to Gruver for his courageous act that may have saved the young driver’s life.