Jimmy parked the police car and slowly sipped water from his cup, making sure not to drink too much. These are personal tricks he learned from Noah Mason and the others to avoid accidents in emergencies, and they weren't part of the police training content.
Waiting idly by the roadside, Jimmy knew that lying in wait didn't always pay off. Plus, he let off cars that weren't obviously speeding; it didn't seem worth the trouble to write tickets for little reward.
After over half an hour of waiting, Jimmy was about to give up when he suddenly heard the loud exhaust of a high-displacement motorcycle. In a flash, a motorcycle zipped past him. In Arkansas, the rural road speed limit was 35/45mph, but this motorcycle was surely doing no less than 80mph.
Jimmy switched on the siren and lights and immediately gave chase. Seeing the police car in pursuit, the motorcyclist sped up and wove through the traffic ahead.
The impact of the sirens and lights was significant. Vehicles on the road shifted right upon noticing the police car, clearing the middle of the lane. Jimmy accelerated through the traffic—50, 70, until he reached 100mph to catch up with the motorcycle, maintaining a distance of several dozen meters behind it.
The POST committee's police manual explicitly prohibited high-speed stops of motorcycles in motion, including PIT maneuvers, due to the high risk of irrecoverable casualties and the potential for extensive investigations and lawsuits. Every police station had the same mandate for its officers: no PIT maneuvers on moving motorcycles under any circumstances.
Jimmy followed the motorcycle and reported the chase via his radio, requesting a check on the motorcyclist's information.
Seeing that he couldn't shake off the police car, the rider slowed down to turn at the upcoming junction, veering onto a rural path. Jimmy closely followed to the intersection, but then he was stumped. It was clear that local residents had developed this narrow path,; it was just over a meter wide, fine for motorcycles, but completely unsuitable for a police car.
Watching the motorcycle disappear from sight, Jimmy felt helpless. He grabbed the radio to report the situation and called off the pursuit for speeding.
Jimmy turned off the siren and lights, and pulled out a map from the car. He had put it there specifically because he wasn't very familiar with the local roads. After checking his surroundings and locating his position on the map, Jimmy deduced that if the narrow road continued without turning, it would lead to Karmac Town up ahead. He figured even if he took a detour, the town police would handle it, and he could just be an observer.
Jimmy got things together, turned the car around, reflecting on his truly unlucky day. It was supposed to be a happy day with paycheck, but then he remembered the tax pitfalls of his new identity, and the unsuccessful chase only added to the feeling of bad luck seeping out of him.
Checking the time, it was almost the end of his shift. Jimmy decided to head straight back to the station to see if Amy had any good solutions for his personal crisis.
As he neared the station, he suddenly received a dispatch alert, "All units be advised, a shootout has occurred. Karmac Town police station requests assistance. Nearby officers, please respond immediately."
"Adam28 received."
Jimmy switched the siren and lights back on, changed his direction, and headed towards Karmac Town. He had recently checked the map and remembered the route clearly; about 15 minutes later, Jimmy arrived and saw three police cars parked on the outskirts of the town.
Jimmy drove his car over and saw a police officer standing by the road. He got out and walked over, recognizing the badge of the town police chief. The town police chief was also a sheriff, just like the county police chief, both being heads of their respective stations elected by the local community.
"Chief, Plaskey County Police, Jimmy. What's the situation? Where do you need me?"
"A biker gang member assaulted someone in the bar, and he opened fire when our officers attempted to arrest him. My guys have him surrounded; it should be resolved quickly."
"The bar up ahead?" Jimmy pointed to the nearby Red Roof Bar.
"Yes, that one. The guy is cornered inside." The chief didn't assign Jimmy any tasks, so he decided not to overstep his duties. Jimmy walked over to his car, turned off the siren but kept the flashing lights on, and took out his cup to rest and drink some water.
"Bang" x N, a series of gunshots suddenly erupted from the bar. The chief's radio blared with urgent voices — an officer was shot, the suspect had fled through the back door.
"I'll check the back door," Jimmy told the chief. He capped his water cup, tossed it onto the seat, drew his pistol and flashlight, closed the car door, and proceeded to check behind the bar via a narrow alley.
Jimmy cautiously peeped around the corner of the building, illuminating each hiding spot with his flashlight. No one was there. He approached the back door and shouted, "Plaskey County Police, is the suspect inside the house?"
"He's gone, ran out the back door; the suspect's armed, and I've been shot. Be careful," the town officer yelled back.
Jimmy continued his search along the back alley. It was nearing 8 PM, and the town was darker than the city with fewer streetlights; he relied solely on his flashlight to check possible hiding spots, which greatly slowed his search speed.
After checking 5 or 6 houses without finding anyone, the environment proved too challenging. With only him searching in the darkness, Jimmy decided to give up.
Jimmy returned to the front of the bar where the ambulance had arrived, and the two shot officers were being loaded inside. The chief stood beside, looking somber.
"Sorry, I didn't find anyone. It's too dark back there," Jimmy told the chief as he stored his flashlight and gun away.
"No worries, I'll catch him. This is our disgrace," the chief replied before turning and getting into the town police car, likely heading back to the station.
Jimmy also got into his own police car, updated the progress via radio, and since the case was under the town police's jurisdiction and he was just there to assist, he decided not to continue involved.
Jimmy turned off the police lights, drove away, and headed back to the county police station.