2 Women notice a police chase happening beside them. Then the police man hops in the car, tells them to ‘follow the criminal’
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Two women got roped into a police chase after witnessing it firsthand in Southampton. The best part? They got most of it on video.
Katie (@katrepertoire), a Southampton TikToker, says she was watching a foot pursuit unfold when the chase came to her — a police officer climbed into the vehicle she and her friend Martha were in. He then told them to drive after the suspect, and then bailed out of the vehicle to continue the pursuit. Without the video and her friend Martha (@martha_seager), it would be a hard story to tell.
The story
The viral clip, with over 13.5 million views, literally opens mid-adrenaline, like an old cinéma vérité film. “POV: one second you're watching a police chase, the next second the policeman gets in your car and shouts at you to follow the criminal,” reads her on-screen text. A second caption on another version of the clip seals the nonsense: “us when we became part of the police force for 2 minutes when he told us to join a police chase.”
The footage, later picked up by The Sun, shows an officer getting inside the vehicle. One of the girls drives the officer toward the foot chase. He then bails back out to continue on foot.
The officer, PC Toby Pitt, confirmed the assist on the record. “Thank you so much to the member of the public who let me catch a lift while chasing a suspect,” he said. “It was a hot day, so I was very grateful for the aircon.”
The pursuit had a target. Police say they were called just before 8 p.m. on July 20 to reports of a moped theft near Harbour Parade, and that a 12-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy fled when officers arrived. The chase ran to Western Esplanade, and ended, per Pitt, in the shrubbery. Pitt confirmed that despite making an effort to hide, the suspect was arrested.
@katrepertoire edit: video without audio is now on my page fair play to martha perfect squad car driver xx @Martha ♬ original sound – Tyra
The peanut gallery
Commenters were generally supportive of Katie and Martha's assist.
“Put that on LinkedIn: ‘assisted law enforcement in a high-speed chase,'” joked one person. Related to a job hunt, one commenter wrote, “Can you tell me about a time you were under pressure?”
The Metropolitan Police's social media account even quipped, “I've seen enough, welcome aboard officer.”
Truer words were never spoken when one commenter wrote: “No one would've believed you if you didn't record.”
Citizen getaway drivers
Katie and Martha are not the first bystanders to moonlight as getaway drivers for the law.
In June, a van driver in Margate did much the same for Kent Police, pulling over so an armed officer could climb into the back during a foot chase after a reported assault. The unnamed motorist later summed up his cameo: “quite exhilarating.”
An ocean away, Winnipeg police thanked a driver who ferried a gear-laden officer through downtown summer heat toward a fleeing suspect, cinching the arrest. “An amazing citizen pulled over and offered one of our officers a ride,” said Const. Andrea Lefort.
Buzz News reached out to Katie via email. The publication also reached out to the Metropolitan Police, which commented on the post, and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary via email.
