Watch As Seattle Police With Guns Drawn Let A Car Drive Away On The Sidewalk Because They Are Not Allowed To Pursue

The KIRO Radio news team captured video on Wednesday from directly outside its Eastlake studio in Seattle, showing police with guns drawn on a vehicle, before the car sped away on the sidewalk.

According to Seattle Police Department Sergeant Randy Huserik, the incident stemmed from a call placed by a passerby, who initially told dispatchers there was a vehicle parked on the sidewalk with its engine running.

Officers responded to the scene, and after making contact with the occupant of the car, discovered from the license plate that the vehicle had been reported stolen. Additional units were then summoned, “to assist in attempting to the take the driver who was in possession of a stolen vehicle into custody.”

Video footage taken by KIRO Radio shows that a group of officers proceeded to surround the vehicle with their guns drawn before it fled, driving away on the sidewalk.

As for why police didn’t follow the driver, Huserik notes that SPD’s official policy dictates that officers in that particular situation were not permitted to stage a pursuit.