MN troopers, deputies team up to stop out-of-control Honda after malfunction: Video
Runaway vehicle stopped using squad car: Dashcam video
An 18-year-old driving a Honda Pilot in Fargo, North Dakota, wasn't able to stop after the vehicle malfunctioned. The vehicle continued to accelerate, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph before a Minnesota State Trooper was able to catch up to the runaway vehicle. The trooper had to drive in front of the runaway vehicle, and advised the driver to hit the squad car. The trooper then braked and brought the vehicle to a stop. No injuries were reported. Here's the dashcam and body camera video from the Sept. 17, 2024, incident.
HITTERDAL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Quick-thinking law enforcement officers in northern Minnesota were able to stop a Honda Pilot that apparently malfunctioned, leaving the teen driver racing uncontrollably toward a dead-end.
What we know
On the night of Tuesday, Sept. 17, Minnesota State Patrol says 18-year-old Sam Dutcher from North Dakota was driving his Honda Pilot in northern Fargo when something went wrong with the vehicle.
"I had initially thought that my kid was probably going to die," Sam’s mother Catherine told FOX 9 on Tuesday.
Troopers say the driver was unable to stop, use the emergency brake, put the transmission in neutral, or even turn the vehicle off. At the same time, the vehicle kept accelerating.
"Once I actually caught up to him, I saw that he was doing 113 mph," said Minnesota State Trooper Zach Gruver. "It was pretty much pinned at 113."
A Cass County, North Dakota, deputy tried to help but the driver continued across the border into northern Clay County, Minnesota.
In Minnesota, Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Johnson caught up to and called the driver, trying to troubleshoot the issue, as the vehicle continued to speed down County Road 26 at speeds between 80 and 90 mph. Gruver was also able to catch up to the runaway vehicle.
Dutcher was running out of time, as his Honda approached a fork in the road just two miles away. At that news, Gruver made a decision to put his own safety on the line.
"I wasn’t going to let him go off the T at 113 miles per hour," Gruver said. "I truly believe Sam would’ve died."
How did they stop it?
Trooper Gruver was able to get ahead of the vehicle with his emergency lights on to at least give a warning to other drivers, as the vehicle sped through Hitterdal, Minnesota.
The situation became more dire as the vehicle approached a dead end at a "T" intersection.
With not enough time to deploy stop sticks or other devices to slow down the car, Trooper Gruver pulled in front of the runaway vehicle and, with Deputy Johnson, the trooper told the teen driver to hit his squad vehicle.
Using his squad as a pace vehicle, they were able to bring the runaway vehicle to a full stop.
Amazingly, no one was hurt in the incident.
"I’m very thankful," Sam told FOX 9 this week.
What they’re saying
In a statement, a Minnesota State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Jesse Grabow lauded the heroic actions of everyone involved in the incident:
"It was incredible work from the 911 dispatchers, Cass County SO, Clay County SO, and State Trooper Zach Gruver and the fact that the 18-year-old driver … kept as calm as he could, communicated and followed some unbelievable directions that this incident ended as well as it did. For everything that was going wrong, a few important things went right. Without the sacrifice of Trooper Gruver, we might not have had the victory and outcome we did."
In a statement, Honda told FOX 9:
"First and foremost, we are grateful that the customer is safe and we appreciate the role of law enforcement in helping the customer stop the vehicle. We cannot speculate about the issue the customer experienced without a detailed inspection, and we encourage the family to have the vehicle towed to an authorized Honda dealer for inspection if that has not already occurred. We also want to talk with the family and want them to know that they can always reach out to Honda Customer Relations at 800-999-1009."