A police chase that spanned two counties in Kentucky ended as a terrified woman ended up hugging a police officer leading the pursuit and surrendering to law enforcement peacefully.
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“A great example of keeping your emotions in check at the end of a pursuit,” the Hodgenville Police Department wrote, praising Chief James Richardson.
The pursuit began when the woman, identified as Latrice Curry, was disturbed by a domestic altercation with her husband and fled the residence before the police arrived, the New York Daily News reported.
When a deputy followed her, she sped away, sparking a hot police chase Wednesday involving multiple officers.
The chase came to an end when the 41-year-old woman pulled over in a Hodgenville parking lot to avoid a potential roadblock.
Officers then approach the vehicle with guns drawn, yelling at the woman to get out of her car.
But as Richardson moved closer to the vehicle with his gun drawn, his mood suddenly changed.
“I got to the driver’s side door and told her to unlock the door. She had her hands up; she was shaking like a leaf. I mean the poor girl, when I opened the door it was like a look of sheer terror. She was scared to death,” Richardson told the New York Post.
Richardson then placed his gun back in his holster and told Curry to “calm down.” The police chief had to help her take her seatbelt off because she was shaking so badly.
“I didn’t perceive her as a threat, she didn’t have any weapons. I took control of her hands, she started crying. She reached out and hugged me, and I just kind of hugged her back,” the police chief said.
Curry was arrested without incident and charged with fleeing police, traffic violations, and endangerment.