Skip to main content

Not so Super Troopers: Florida cops fired over high-speed hijinks caught on cam

Not so Super Troopers Florida cops fired over high-speed hijinks caught on cam
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s all fun and game until someone gets hurt, or fired.

According to reports, two Clermont, Florida officers have landed in a bit of hot water over a speeding prank pulled on a fellow officer.

Last March Officer Christina Fowler was patrolling in a construction zone when she witnessed a car recklessly barreling through at speeds well over the designated limit. Naturally she flipped on her lights and gave chase. The offending car continued to flee — reaching speeds of up to 90 miles per hour — until finally being pulled over by Officer Fowler.

Once pulled over, the driver appears to give the impression that he is about to flee on foot, at which point Fowler draws her gun. The man then identifies himself as fellow officer Marc Thompsons, who from the video mounted on the dashboard of Officer Fowler’s cruiser appears to breakdown in laughter explaining his little stunt was nothing more than a joke played on the nine-year veteran. Apparently Officer Thompson was not alone in his little high-speed escapade either, as incident reports indicate that two other off-duty officers were in the vehicle at the time, one of whom turned out to be a sergeant.

In spite of recklessly and dangerously speeding through a construction zone Officer Fowler did not issue any speeding citations, with everyone seemingly getting a kick out of the prank. Well, almost everyone.

According to The Orlando Sentinel it appears both Officer Thompson and Sgt. Mark Edwards were fired earlier this month as a result of the incident, although that is being appealed by the policemen’s union, while the officer riding along was suspended for a day without pay.

So there you have it, thanks to the wonders of modern technology we bear witness to yet more bumble-brained, high-speed hijinks. For some reason people doing stupid things always seem to get filmed — Bob Saget made a career out of it, and no we’re not talking about America’s Funniest Home Videos – but we suppose we shouldn’t complain. After all, we get to sit back and bask in others foolishness from the comfort of our desks.

Amir Iliaifar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Associate Automotive Section Editor for Digital Trends, Amir Iliaifar covers the ever increasing cross-section between tech…
Alpine sale: Up to $160 off speakers and subs for your car
alpine speaker sale crutchfield march 2024 car and amp setup on table

If you’re looking to kit your car out with some superior speakers or a subwoofer, Crutchfield is the place to go today. Right now, there’s a huge sale on Alpine subwoofers and speakers with nearly 50 different items forming the sale. As there are so many options, the best idea is to hit the button below to see what’s around. If you don’t know where to start though, read on while we take you through some great items in the sale.

What to shop for in the Alpine sale
Buying the best aftermarket car speakers are important for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road and is currently dealing with a mediocre sound system. One good starting point in the Alpine sale is the 2-way speakers for $104 instead of $130. You get two 2-way speakers with a polypropylene/glass fiber/mica woofer with a specialized rubber surround. There’s a one-inch silk dome tweeter with speakers able to handle up to 80 watts RMS with 240 watts peak power. The grilles aren’t included but the factor ones should be fine for most purposes.

Read more
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more