A Colorado State Patrol trooper used what’s called a tactical vehicle intervention, or TVI, on April 8 east of Cortez to halt a Jeep Gladiator traveling the wrong way along Highway 160.
Trooper Maniss was conducting a traffic stop when he saw the Jeep speed by him on the shoulder of the wrong side of the highway, according to a press release.
Leaving the traffic stop, he rushed to his vehicle and sped after the Jeep with lights and siren on.
The Jeep kept going at about 65 mph, weaving on and off the shoulder and sometimes nearly colliding with oncoming vehicles, so the trooper continued his pursuit At one point, it sped through the merge area near the Sleeping Ute Mountain Rest Area and narrowly avoided a head-on crash, according to the release.
As it approached a road-construction zone where the speed limit was 40 mph, the trooper tried the TVI, a maneuver that involves crashing into the side rear of a
vehicle to make it pinwheel and come to a halt.
Trooper Gabriel Moltrer of the CSP’s Public Affairs Office told KSJD he does not have statistics on how often the TVI maneuver is employed statewide.
“They were going into a work zone and he used the TVI to bring that vehicle to a stop before getting into the construction zone,” Moltrer said.
“Pursuits are one of the highest liability areas in law enforcement today,” reads a statement on the CSP website. “The focus of our pursuit training is officer safety, as well as training for ending pursuits as quickly and safely as possible. TVI has been used by the Colorado State Patrol since 1995 and has proven to be an effective way to stop individuals fleeing from apprehension.”
The trooper’s second TVI effort was successful, bringing the Jeep to a stop.
The 81-year-old driver, who was not named in the release, was handcuffed, taken into custody, and charged with DUI, reckless driving, and vehicular eluding.
The State Patrol released video of the encounter during National Work Zone Safety Week to remind drivers to be careful in construction zones, where workers are extremely vulnerable.
“It’s going to get a lot warmer and there will be a lot more road construction,” Moltrer said.
