There's a narrative out there that Americans are not happy with Law Enforcement but this is not true for an overwhelming amount of people because we recognize their hard work. When it comes to preventing a potentially deadly situation, we normally don't hear about it but in this instance, we have to take a moment to show love to a local police department for getting ahead of problem early.

It Started With A Simple Traffic Stop

According to a post and press release from The Palestine Police Department, last Friday, (January 21) at approximately 10:45 p.m., Palestine Police Officer Isaiah Pettigrew initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 1200 block of W. Oak St, but the vehicle failed to stop.

The car fled, running a stop sign, reaching speeds of approximately 90 miles per hour, and failing to maintain its lane of travel.

Officers lost sight of the vehicle momentarily as it turned onto S. Church St, and then located the vehicle in the parking lot of the Parkview apartment complex, where several occupants fled from the vehicle on foot.

Officers Found A Black Shotgun In The Back Seat

Officers then located two of the persons who fled from the vehicle on E. Lamar St. Other Officers through investigation, were able to locate the 16-year-old driver who fled into a nearby apartment to hide.

After interviewing the occupants of the vehicle, Officers Discovered That They Were Just In Time To Prevent A Potential Tragedy

Turns out that just before police initiated the traffic stop, the occupants stopped and retrieved the shotgun from a residence and then discussed shooting up a house where an individual lived who reportedly owed them money. The weapon was then seized by officers.

A juvenile suspect was taken into custody and transported to an out of county juvenile detention facility

When you find out its technically some "kids" involved in this, you have to be thankful that Palestine Officer Pettigrew was at the right place at the right time. Multiple lives were saved, including that of the suspect. Palestine Police Chief Mark Harcrow agrees as he shared in the following statement:

Because of Officer Pettigrew being observant and proactive, he likely prevented a terrible situation and the potential loss of life. All of the Officers did a great job in the case, and I commend them for their hard work.

Big Thanks to Officer Pettigrew and the Palestine Police Department!