- The Corvette Z06 was clocked at 142 mph on Tempe’s Mill Avenue Bridge.
- Police used a bumper-mounted grappler device to stop the car the next day.
- The 19-year-old driver faces up to 1.5 years in prison and a $150,000 fine.
The 19-year-old driver of a Corvette Z06 in Tempe, Arizona, learned the hard way that pushing a car to more than four times the speed limit rarely ends well. What began as a late-night thrill turned into a serious brush with the law.
Now the teenager has been charged with felony flight and has had his powerful whip impounded by the local authorities. Fortunately for us, the entire episode was caught on camera, both from the suspect’s car and by the police.
Video captured from the onboard Performance Data Recorder of the Corvette shows that on the evening of September 9, the driver hit 142 mph (229 km/h) while racing solo across Mill Avenue Bridge, heading over Tempe Town Lake.
Watch: Police Troll Biker Who Filmed His Own 130 MPH Chase
Soon after, he was spotted blowing through multiple red lights and, at one stage, refused to pull over for a Tempe police officer on a motorcycle. While the driver, identified as Mazen Alassmari, was able to escape that night, police were able to bust him the following day.
Footage released by the Tempe Police Department shows that they spotted the teen driving recklessly in broad daylight, but this time, they came prepared.
Hook, Line, and Corvette
A cruiser equipped with a grappler device, which is a mechanical restraint mounted to the front bumper, closed in on the car. The system deployed a reinforced strap that snagged the Corvette’s rear wheel and locked it in place. Despite the Z06’s horsepower, it couldn’t overcome the grip of the device.
Video Tempe PD
Grapplers have been around for quite some time, but we don’t often see them in use. They’re attached to the front of a cruiser in what appears to be a standard bull bar. Two arms then fold down, revealing bright yellow straps that can be guided around the rear wheel of an escaping vehicle.
As reported by Road&Track, in Arizona, fleeing from a police officer is a class 5 felony, and the driver of this Z06 could be staring down a 1.5-year stint in prison and a fine of up to $150,000.
Call us harsh, but we can’t say we’re sorry. Many have violated a speed limit at one time or another, but a) not to this extent, and b) without trying to outrun the police. Actions like these carry a heavy penalty, as this particular offender is likely to learn if convicted in court.
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