Sam Dutcher had just finished shopping when the 18-year-old Honda Pilot suddenly began accelerating, even though his foot was not on the gas pedal. The brake wouldn’t work, he couldn’t shift into neutral, and soon after, the fleeing SUV was speeding through the western Minnesota countryside with no way to stop.
“I had the brake on the floor,” Dutcher said Thursday, but the SUV continued to drive faster and faster, eventually reaching 120 mph (193 km/min).
A last-minute plan averted disaster that September evening: a trooper ran in front of the Honda and Dutcher was ordered to crash into the back of his patrol car, allowing him to stop safely moments before reaching a dangerous intersection.
“It was really all I could think of to stop him in time,” said Minnesota Trooper Zach Gruver. “We kind of ran out of time and distance. I really didn’t know any other way.
Dutcher, who graduated from high school in May and is studying auto mechanics, was driving to his family’s home near West Fargo, North Dakota, around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 when he visited realized something was wrong.
“I went to take my foot off the gas,” Dutcher recalled. “It wouldn’t slow down.” As the SUV picked up speed, Dutcher had two options: stay on a two-lane road and drive to Minnesota, or take the highway, thinking traffic would be lighter, he chose the lesser route. frequented.
Dutcher tried using the voice command on his phone to call 911, but it didn’t work. So he called his mother.
Catherine Dutcher was in line at Hardee’s. During her 911 call, she mentioned that the Honda had just been in the shop because the accelerator seemed to be stuck. Authorities suspect a malfunction in the SUV’s computer.
The family should take the vehicle to a dealership for an inspection, a Honda spokeswoman told The Associated Press. The company cannot comment further until an inspection is completed, she said.
As the Honda sped into Minnesota, Clay County Deputy Zach Johnson contacted Dutcher by phone. Dashcam video shows Johnson talking to Dutcher about possible solutions. Nothing worked.
Meanwhile, Catherine Dutcher could only worry. When she called 911 for an update, she broke down.
“They said several officers had gone to see him and doctors,” she recalls. “At that point I kind of lost my mind because I was imagining him either seriously injured or dead. I didn’t know how they were going to stop a car going at that speed.
Gruver heard what was happening through his radio. His Dodge Charger eventually caught up with the Honda as it approached the town of Hitterdal, Minn., about 30 miles from where the problem began.
Only about 200 people live in Hitterdal, but the highway passes through an area with a few stop signs, a railroad crossing, and an intersection with another highway.
Gruver ran ahead to keep traffic at bay. His dashcam video showed the Honda speeding past him through the city. Dutcher said the SUV was traveling about 120 mph (193 km/h).
Soon, another worry: Johnson warned Gruver that the highway ended at a T intersection about 4 miles away, a two-minute drive at racing speed.
Law enforcement came up with a plan on the fly: Dutcher would move into the back of Gruver’s patrol car while both vehicles were in motion.
“Yeah, run to the back of his car,” Johnson urged Dutcher in a conversation captured on dashcam video.
The 2022 Honda’s collision mitigation system activated at the point of impact, helping to mitigate the collision, Gruver said. The Honda was traveling at approximately 80 km/h when it struck the police officer’s vehicle. From there, Gruver was able to gradually slow down to a stop.
Gruver, a 30-year-old married man who is expecting his first baby, was impressed by the young driver who was able to drive a fleeing vehicle at unimaginable speeds.
“Sam did great,” said Gruver, who has been a trooper for more than three years. “I don’t think there are many people who could handle that pressure.”
