Body cam footage of a wild incident between a cop and an Iowa man was released this week, and things turned left pretty quickly. In March of 2021, a traffic stop in Iowa turned into a wild chase that lasted only a minute but left one police officer clinging to the roof of a fleeing suspect’s car. Officer Patrick McCarty attempted to stop the suspect, Dennis Guider Jr., but ended up holding on to the roof of the car as it sped away. The chase ended when the suspect drove through a ditch, causing McCarty to fall off and break his back.
The incident was caught on camera and released this week, leaving people on social media stunned by the dangerous situation that McCarty found himself in. Guider pleaded guilty in March of 2023 and was sentenced to up to five years in prison for his actions. During Guider’s recent sentencing, his lawyer made the argument that McCarty was not properly trained to step in front of a moving car. It is understandable that police officers may need to take risks in certain situations, but their safety should always be a top priority, the court heard.
RELATED: Body Cam Footage Shows Baltimore Police Shoot Teenager In The Back
The Carroll police department did not respond to requests for comment about the incident, so it is unclear what actions they have taken since the incident occurred. However, it is clear that Officer McCarty’s bravery and dedication to his duty cannot be denied. Despite the danger he faced, he was willing to do whatever it took to stop a potentially dangerous suspect. Meanwhile, people on Twitter said they were pretty amazed sacrifices that this police officer made to stop Guider by all means.
Iowa has witnessed a surge in its violent crime rate, with a 13.9% increase over the past year, more than double the national increase.
This is led by an 85% increase in homicides, making Iowa one of the states with a higher violent crime rate in the country, with 303 violent crimes reported for every 100,000 people. However, it is essential to note that the national violent crime rate has increased by 5%, led by a 30% increase in homicides, totaling 1.3 million violent offenses reported in 2020. Yet, the national violent crime rate remains below its peak in the 1990s.
According to data released by the FBI in October 2022, Iowa’s violent crime rate is 3.02 per 1,000 residents, with a total of 9,645 violent crimes reported in the state in 2021.
The property crime rate is lower than the national average at 2.62 per 1,000 residents, with a total of 8,360 property crimes reported in Iowa in 2021. The data is based on reports from over 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States and is updated annually using over two million geocoded point locations by Location, Inc., which uses a meta-analysis that overcomes issues with crime databases.