Deputy Pat Burke Responds to Wild Ride Gone Wrong
It was an otherwise quiet Friday evening in a suburban neighborhood when Deputy Pat Burke received a call about a suspect engaging in reckless behavior near a popular street.
What began as a routine dispatch soon turned into a dramatic sequence of events that would push the boundaries of what law enforcement officers expect to encounter. The incident, captured on bodycam footage, detailed Deputy Burke’s efforts to manage a situation that had escalated far beyond the ordinary.
The call came in at approximately 8:30 p.m., reporting a driver engaged in “ghost riding the whip.” For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a dangerous stunt in which a person exits a moving vehicle and allows it to continue rolling while they stand or dance next to or on top of it. The call described a male suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Tyrone Harris, performing this reckless stunt while driving through a crowded intersection.
Deputy Burke, already patrolling nearby, immediately responded to the scene, his mind alert to the potential dangers this situation could pose to public safety.
As he arrived, he observed the suspect's vehicle, a black sedan, speeding down the road with no driver inside, but the car was still moving at a high rate of speed. Deputy Burke’s bodycam footage captured the surreal moment as the car swerved dangerously, with Tyrone Harris standing on top of the vehicle.
“Dispatch, I’ve got eyes on the vehicle,” Deputy Burke reported over the radio. “Suspect’s standing on top of the moving car. Requesting backup.” Burke maintained his cool as he followed the car at a safe distance, waiting for backup officers to arrive.
The situation was clearly volatile—Harris’ actions were not only putting his own life in danger but also the lives of pedestrians and other drivers in the vicinity.
As Deputy Burke followed the vehicle, it became clear that the situation was growing more perilous by the second. Harris appeared to be taunting other drivers, moving back and forth between the car’s roof and the doorframe. The bodycam footage recorded his wild stunts as he jumped off the car, danced in the middle of the street, and hopped back onto the vehicle—all while it continued to roll down the road.
“Get down from there!” Deputy Burke shouted, his voice rising in frustration and concern. He knew that the longer this went on, the higher the risk of an accident or worse.
Finally, after several minutes of reckless driving and stunts, Harris jumped back into the car and attempted to steer it while standing inside the vehicle. The situation had now turned into a high-speed chase as Harris tried to speed away from Deputy Burke, who had been keeping pace without initiating a dangerous pursuit. The deputy activated his siren and lights to signal Harris to pull over, but Harris was not about to comply.
With backup now arriving, Deputy Burke coordinated with the other officers to box Harris in and prevent him from continuing his reckless behavior. The bodycam footage captured Deputy Burke’s focused determination as he positioned his patrol car in such a way as to limit Harris’ options without creating unnecessary danger for bystanders.
“Stop the car now!” Deputy Burke ordered over the loudspeaker. But instead of stopping, Harris sped up, driving in and out of lanes, narrowly avoiding collisions with other vehicles. It was evident that the suspect was not only endangering his own life but also the lives of others in the area.
At this point, Deputy Burke made a critical decision to initiate a tactical vehicle intervention (TVI), a technique in which a pursuing officer makes contact with a suspect’s vehicle in order to safely bring it to a stop. With his lights flashing and siren blaring, Deputy Burke made his move. He used his patrol car to bump Harris’ vehicle, causing it to spin out and come to a halt. The maneuver was executed flawlessly, and within moments, backup officers were on the scene, taking control of the situation.
“Get out of the car! Hands up!” Deputy Burke commanded as he approached the suspect’s vehicle. Harris, now realizing that his escape was impossible, complied, raising his hands and surrendering without further resistance. Officers quickly apprehended him and placed him in custody.
As the officers conducted a search of Harris’ vehicle, they found open containers of alcohol, a significant indicator that Harris had been intoxicated during the incident. The bodycam footage continued to document the scene as Deputy Burke spoke with Harris, who was now seated in the back of the patrol car.
“You think this is funny?” Deputy Burke asked Harris, who was still somewhat incoherent from the adrenaline of the chase. “You risked your life, and everyone else’s, for what? A stunt?”
Harris remained quiet for a moment before responding, “I just wanted to show off. Didn’t mean for it to go like that.”
Deputy Burke shook his head, expressing disbelief. “This wasn’t just a stunt; this was a crime, and you could have killed someone.” The seriousness of the situation had clearly set in for Harris, but the damage had already been done.
Tyrone Harris was charged with several offenses, including reckless driving, DUI, resisting arrest, and endangering public safety. He was taken to the local detention center, where he was booked and held pending further proceedings.
The consequences of his reckless actions were severe, not just in terms of the legal charges but also the potential dangers he had posed to the public.
In the aftermath of the incident, Deputy Burke reflected on how quickly a seemingly harmless stunt could escalate into a high-risk situation. His bodycam footage highlighted not only the dangers of reckless behavior but also the skill and professionalism required by law enforcement to handle such incidents safely.
This event serves as a reminder of how dangerous “stunts” like ghost riding the whip can be, not only to the person performing them but also to everyone around them. For Deputy Burke, it was another day on the job—a job that requires unwavering focus and the ability to react swiftly to protect the public.
Traffic Stops Expose the Secrets Drivers Don’t Want Officers to Find
It started as an ordinary afternoon patrol for Officers Daniels and McCarthy — the kind of shift where nothing out of the ordinary usually happens. They were cruising down a suburban highway when they noticed a silver sedan driving erratically, swerving slightly between lanes. What seemed like a simple traffic violation would soon reveal a hidden story behind the driver’s unusual behavior.
When the patrol lights flashed, the sedan hesitated before pulling over to the side of the road. The officers approached carefully, following standard procedure. Officer Daniels took the driver’s side, while Officer McCarthy stood on the passenger side, watching for any suspicious movement. The driver, a middle-aged man who appeared nervous, rolled down his window slowly.
“Good afternoon, sir. Do you know why we pulled you over?” Daniels asked, his tone calm but firm. The man hesitated, looking straight ahead instead of making eye contact. “Uh… I might’ve been going a little fast,” he muttered. His hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel, a red flag that immediately caught Daniels’ attention.
“Can I see your license and registration, please?” Daniels continued. The man handed over his documents, but his movements were jittery and hesitant. McCarthy, on the passenger side, noticed a faint smell coming from the car — a strange, chemical odor that didn’t quite match anything common. He glanced at Daniels and gave a subtle nod, signaling that something wasn’t right.
As Daniels reviewed the documents, he noticed that the registration was outdated. “Sir, your registration expired three months ago,” he said. The man shifted in his seat nervously. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I just haven’t had the time to renew it,” he replied, his voice cracking slightly.
Daniels decided to ask a few more questions. “Where are you heading today?” he asked casually. The driver paused before answering, “Just going to visit a friend.” When pressed for a name or address, he stammered and failed to provide clear answers. By now, both officers were aware that something about this situation didn’t add up.
At this point, Daniels politely asked the man to step out of the vehicle. “Sir, we just need to ask you a few questions outside the car,” he said. The man reluctantly complied, his body language showing visible anxiety. As soon as he stepped out, his hands went into his pockets.
“Keep your hands where we can see them,” McCarthy instructed quickly. The man froze, then slowly raised his hands. “I’m not hiding anything,” he said nervously. Daniels asked if there was anything illegal in the car — weapons, drugs, or contraband. “No, nothing like that,” the driver insisted, shaking his head vigorously.
Still, the officers decided to conduct a brief search after the driver consented. The first few moments of the search revealed nothing unusual — a few receipts, an old coffee cup, and a jacket tossed in the back seat. But when Daniels opened the trunk, the situation took a strange turn.
Inside the trunk were several small boxes, all neatly stacked. The boxes were labeled with random household product brands, but when Daniels lifted one, he noticed it was unusually heavy. “Sir, what’s in these boxes?” Daniels asked. The driver’s face went pale. “Just… stuff I’m delivering for a friend,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact.
McCarthy opened one of the boxes, and what he found made both officers stare in disbelief. Inside were dozens of small velvet bags filled with what appeared to be jewelry — gold chains, rings, and watches. Some pieces still had store tags attached. The next box contained similar items: high-end electronics, cameras, and designer accessories.
“Sir, care to explain why you’re transporting all of this?” Daniels asked, his tone now more serious. The driver began to stammer, his voice rising in panic. “It’s not what it looks like! I swear, I was just supposed to drop them off for someone,” he pleaded.
Backup was called immediately. As they waited for additional units to arrive, the officers continued to inspect the trunk. The more they looked, the stranger it got — one box even contained rare collectible coins and antique watches, some clearly worth thousands of dollars.
When questioned further, the driver admitted he didn’t personally know the person who gave him the boxes. “It was just a quick job. A friend of a friend asked me to drive this stuff across town for a little cash,” he confessed. “I didn’t ask questions.”
The officers suspected that the items were stolen property connected to a string of recent burglaries in the area. Their suspicions were soon confirmed when dispatch matched serial numbers from one of the recovered items to a reported theft case from just days earlier. The “friend of a friend” story fell apart quickly.
As the driver was placed in handcuffs, he continued to insist that he had no idea the items were stolen. “I thought it was just moving work,” he said, shaking his head. But the evidence told another story — the boxes, the fake labels, and the nervous behavior all pointed to deeper involvement.
The officers loaded the boxes into evidence bags and secured the vehicle for towing. Their calm professionalism throughout the encounter stood out, even as the suspect tried to argue and shift blame. “You guys don’t understand,” he said. “I was just trying to make some money.”
Back at the station, detectives took over the investigation, and the scope of the discovery became clearer. The jewelry and electronics were traced back to multiple thefts across several counties, suggesting that the driver might have been part of a larger network of stolen goods trafficking.
In total, the estimated value of the recovered items exceeded $250,000. For Officers Daniels and McCarthy, what started as a simple speeding stop turned into one of the most significant busts of their careers.
The case served as a reminder that in law enforcement, even the most routine encounters can uncover major criminal activity. What began as a traffic violation ended in the dismantling of a property theft ring — and for the officers involved, it reinforced the importance of staying alert, asking questions, and trusting instinct.
The “treasure” hidden in the trunk was more than just stolen valuables — it was a glimpse into the unpredictable world officers navigate daily, where one stop can change everything.
