On-Duty Officer Takes Dodge Charger Hellcat for an Unauthorized Joyride
The Dodge Charger Hellcat is not only the cheapest way to get 700 hp, but also a quick way to have big fun. So much so that an on-duty Baton Rouge police officer decided to take the powerful Charger on a joyride. According to WBRZ reported by CarBuzz, the rookie officer responded to an emergency when he spotted the car. To make matters worse, WBRZ reports that the car owner did not give the officer permission to drive it.
How did this Dodge Charger Hellcat joyride begin?
According to WBRZ, the Baron Rouge police officer responded to a call reporting the sound of gunshots. Upon arriving, the responding officers quickly realized that the reported sounds were actually coming from the rear of the Dodge Charger Hellcat. Under the hood lives a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine developing at least 707 hp. More powerful versions of the Hellcat can develop up to 797 hp. Regardless, the V8 rumble was identified as the source of the noise.
After questioning the Dodge Charger Hellcat owner, WBRZ report that the officer in question decided to take it for a spin. It is important to note that WBRZ reports that the joyride was taken without the owner’s authorization. WBRZ learned of this fact from the various onlookers that surrounded the scene as the officers showed up to investigate. Unfortunately, the report does not mention whether the vehicle was impounded or if the owner received any form of citation.
Did the officer get fired in response?
In a bit of a surprising twist, the officer got reported by his partner after the Dodge Charger Hellcat joyride. According to WBRZ, the officer was investigated and received what the news station called “a slap on the wrist.” The only punishment the officer received regarded his body camera not being fully charged.
However, given the Dodge Charger Hellcat’s nature, this issue could’ve ended in a much worse situation. If the reports are true, and the owners’ car was taken for a joyride without permission, the officer could’ve severely damaged the car. Additionally, controlling a 707-hp rear-wheel-drive sedan isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. As a result, the officer ran the risk of potentially crashing the vehicle and hurting someone else.
A frustrated civilian interviewed by WBRZ even went on to state that if a civilian had acted that way, there would’ve been a severe punishment. He ended his interview by simply saying, “If you do the crime, you do the time as they say.”
He should’ve been driving this Charger instead
To end this Dodge Charger Hellcat story on a bit of a high note, let’s take a quick look at the car officers actually get to drive. It’s called the Dodge Charger Pursuit, and as the name suggests, it is a specially tuned version of the popular model specifically for police.
Fortunately for criminals, this version does not have a supercharged V8 under the hood. It does still benefit from a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and rear-wheel drive. The other engine option is a V6 equipped with an all-wheel-drive. According to FCA, the Pursuit is electronically limited to 140 mph. In a humorous twist, the 2021 model even gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
