Footage has been released by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), showing just how hazardous traffic stops can be after a man got into a shootout with a Highway Patrolman and stole his patrol car.
The incident, which took place October 15 of last year in Tehama County, has only surfaced in video recently, following the release of footage from CHP.
The event started when a CHP officer stopped to check on a car parked on the shoulder of I-5.
The car in question had dark-tinted windows and a sunshade on the windshield.
The officer approached the car on the passenger side, as shown in the dashcam video.
The officer asked the driver to roll down the window, but the driver refused.
After being asked to roll down the window again, the driver got out of the car and shot the officer.
Two minutes later, the suspect, identified as Joseph Michael Pate, shot at the officer again, hitting him.
Pate then stole the officer’s patrol car and drove away. The dashcam footage shows Pate swerving through traffic on the interstate.
While driving the stolen patrol car, Pate caused an 18-wheeler to flip over by cutting in front of it.
Following a violent crash, the patrol car caught fire.
Pate was eventually taken to a hospital, where he died.
The officer —who had been shot in the abdomen, shoulder, and leg— survived and returned to duty after recovering.
CHP helicopter footage after the incident showed yellow evidence markers where bullets hit, illustrating how close the shots came to other vehicles.
According to KCRA, the incident has led to discussions about officer safety and public awareness during traffic stops.
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