Totally Bogus: Passenger Of Suspected Drunk Driver Calls Cops On The Cops
On Sunday, January 8th at 12:30 a.m. a passenger in a truck called 911 to report that they were being chased down State Route 27 by another vehicle.
Who could the pursuer be? A stalker? A crazy person? A speed demon? Nope... They were being chased by Washington State Patrol.
The Chase
Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Ryan Senger said a State Trooper noticed the Ford F-150 swerving in and out of lanes in the middle of the night near Third Avenue and Route 27 in Spokane Valley.
The reckless driving made the trooper suspicious of a DUI, so he turned on his lights and followed the truck.
The driver, who was later identified as 28-year-old Amanda M. Baporis, refused to pull over.
Senger said that Baporis continued speeding down the highway at over 100mph for nearly 10 miles, still swerving in and out of lanes.
Violating Her "Rights"
"According to Senger, Baporis and two other passengers in the Ford believed the trooper was not allowed to pursue them after the state Legislature approved reforms to high-speed police pursuits in 2021. Under the law, officers can engage in pursuits when there is reasonable suspicion that a person is driving under the influence or has committed a violent offense or sex offense, among other suspicions. Police engaging in pursuits are required to notify their supervisors immediately and to also notify nearby police jurisdictions." (Spokesman)
Baporis was on the phone with 911 arguing that the police were violating her “constitutional rights,” though the pursuit was authorized by a WSP supervisor.
Catching The Truck
During the chase, another Trooper ahead deployed a spike strip near Belmont Road. Baporis hit the spike strip and it disabled one of the vehicle's tires. She ended up driving off the road into a field near Washington Avenue, just north of the Freeman Store.
The driver and the two other passengers refused to get out of the vehicle, but eventually, they stopped pouting and exited the truck.
The two passengers were let go but Baporis was arrested on one count of DUI and one count of attempting to elude police.
If there is a lesson to be learned here, it's that when you see the flashing cherry lights of a cop car, PULL OVER!