Google Street View Car Leads Police on High-Speed Chase and Crashes Into River
For over a decade, Google Street View has allowed users to transport themselves to any road in the world thanks to photos taken by its fleet of Street View cars. The vehicles are equipped with expensive 360-degree cameras mounted on tall antennas attached to the roof of the car. And while their main job is to capture photos calmly without disturbing other drivers, one Street View car just ended up on a high-speed chase with police.
On July 31, police in Middletown, IN began pursuing a Google Street View car that was weaving through traffic and putting other drivers in danger. According to a Facebook post from the cops, the police chief clocked the car's speed at over 100 miles per hour. It refused to stop even after police tried to pull the car over.
Once it reached the nearby town of Pendleton, the car attempted to make a turn due to a bridge being out. But the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove through someone's yard and then into a muddy creek where it got stuck.
The cops quickly caught up and identified the driver as Coleman Ferguson of Florida. He told authorities that he worked for Google and was scared to stop once the police started chasing him. He was arrested for resisting law enforcement with a vehicle.
Google responded to the story with a statement clarifying that it hires outside works to drive its Street View cars. "We partner with contractors to drive and collect imagery," the tech giant told Insider. "We take the safety of our Street View operations very seriously, and we're committed to working with the contracted company and local authorities to ensure the proper actions are taken to address this situation."
Formal criminal charges are forthcoming from the Henry County Prosecutor's Office. As for the undoubtedly interesting photos the car captured, it remains to be seen if they make it to Street View.
