Police used firearms to stop aggressive driver
An incident unfolded in Riga at around eight o’clock on Sunday morning when officers were forced to use both a service weapon and a Taser to stop a suspected drunk driver.
The chain of events began when Riga municipal police received a call about an allegedly intoxicated man driving an Audi. When officers arrived at the scene, they spotted a vehicle matching the description. The driver’s response was immediate and not especially subtle. As soon as he saw the police, he threw the car into reverse and sped off.
Despite repeated orders to stop, the man kept fleeing, carrying out dangerous manoeuvres at an intersection. At one point, when the car came to a brief halt, one of the officers tried to open the door. The driver responded by accelerating again and attempting to force his way out by driving at the officer.
With the risk to people nearby escalating, and in an effort to prevent the driver from escaping any further, one of the policemen used his service weapon and fired several shots into the vehicle’s tyres. Even with the tyres destroyed, the driver carried on for several more minutes before finally reaching the courtyard of an apartment block.
Once the car could go no further, the man tried to escape on foot into the stairwell. Police officers caught him using physical force and a Taser. A subsequent check showed that he did not hold a valid driving licence either.
The case now lies with the state police, who are handling the further investigation. It was, in the end, a fairly comprehensive demonstration that poor judgement rarely travels alone.
