Wild Police Chase Ends Joy Ride
BY ELISSA BERNSTEIN

Stan pulled up in front of Jodie's house in a brand new car.

Jodie's eyes popped. "Wow! Great wheels! But how can you afford a new car? You're always broke."

Stan beamed. "Tell you later. Let's go get Connor."

Connor was also very impressed. And very curious. "Where did you buy this beauty?" Stan looked proud. "Didn't buy it. Stole it!"

Jodie and Connor looked at each other in a panic.

"I don't want any part of this. Let me out!" Jodie ordered.

Stan stepped on the gas. "Oh, don't be such a wimp. This will be fun."

He turned sharply.

"You're driving way too fast!" Jodie yelled. "And you didn't use your flasher!"

Unknown to the gang, a police car was parked at the corner.

"We'd better follow that jeep. There's a bunch of scraggly kids inside. They just made a turn without signaling. Let's check the plates."

They radioed the station.

"That vehicle is stolen," a crackling voice told them. The officers speeded up.

Connor noticed the police car. "You're not so cool now, Stan. Better stop."

Stan glanced over his shoulder. His heart started pounding.

"Hang on!" He turned sharply onto the next street.

Jodie cried out, "It's one-way!" Stan panicked and stepped on the gas. The car jumped, sideswiped two other cars, and bolted ahead at 70 miles an hour. The police car was right behind. Stan floored the gas pedal. The car swerved out of control.

"My God, we're going to die! AAAAGH!"

The jeep ran half way up the front stairs of a house, and back down again with a huge crash.

The ambulance rushed to the spot. Stan was wrapped around the wheel. Dead.

Jodie and Connor were alive but badly injured. As soon as they left the hospital, they sued the police for their injuries.

IN THE COURTROOM

Jodie and Connor came to court

in bandages. "Your Honor, the

police are responsible. We

crashed into that house because

they were chasing us. They

should've known Stan wasn't going to stop after he hit those two cars."

The police were furious. "Your Honor, this is ridiculous. If those kids hadn't been breaking the law, we wouldn't have been chasing them. We were just doing our job. Now we're supposed to pay these kids for stealing a car and running away?!"

"But Stan was the criminal, not us!" Jodie added.

Are the police responsible? YOU! Be The Judge. Then look below for the decision.

THE DECISION

"Pay up, Police," announced the Judge. "You have no duty to protect criminals, but you do have a duty to protect innocent bystanders. Jodie and Connor didn't encourage Stan to run away, so you must pay for their injuries." You! Be the Judge is based on cases from around the world. The characters and the scenarios are fictional. Any resemblance to real people is purely coincidental. The information in this column does not constitute legal advice. If you have a similar problem, consult a lawyer in your state. Elissa Bernstein is a lawyer and internationally syndicated columnist. Copyright 2004 Haika Enterprises AS2-4.