Excellent police work in Washington avoided a high-speed chase and still nabbed the reckless drivers of a Porsche 911 and Audi R8

A Porsche 911 and an Audi R8 are already more than quick enough to make a bad decision feel like a good one. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, two 25-year-old drivers allegedly turned them into a street-racing pair, and one reached 107 mph in a 35-mph zone in University Place, Washington.

The encouraging part is how deputies handled it. They did not launch a high-speed pursuit behind two fast cars already being driven recklessly. Instead, officers later located both vehicles, arrested the drivers, and went to work from there. Sometimes the best chase is the one nobody starts.

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On top of that, officers didn’t rely solely on their quick spotting of the cars as they rolled by. They obtained warrants for the dashcam footage inside of the Porsche that recorded the time, the GPS-indicated speed, and, of course, multiple angles of the race as it went down. Sure enough, it shows both cars absolutely blitzing down the road at triple-digit speeds according to the camera data.

That makes the no-chase decision look especially sensible. A pursuit involving an R8 and a 911 at those speeds could easily turn a reckless-driving case into a much worse story. Police still got both drivers, but without asking other motorists, pedestrians, or officers to absorb the risk. Both men were arrested on allegations of reckless driving and street racing. Their vehicles were impounded with 72-hour holds.

Three days without a Porsche or Audi is inconvenient, sure, but that doesn’t account for the associated towing and storage fees. Also, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office has yet to announce official charges for the two 25-year-olds, including jail time and/or fines. The pending charges may prove more consequential than the impound hold, particularly once court costs and insurance enter the picture.

Still, the contrast is hard to ignore. Police showed restraint and patience, but the immediate vehicle penalty amounts to a long weekend in storage. It was smart enforcement. Whether the punishment is enough to discourage the next 107-mph run is another question.