“A 10-year-old child has just been struck by an illegal dirt bike.
asserted
child → strike → bike
He’s in critical condition.
asserted
He → ’ → condition
The group of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes is headed north.
asserted
group → head → vehicles
In a normal capital city, those words would approximate how a police dispatcher would respond after a child was struck by a hit-and-run driver.
asserted
child → approximate → driver
On April 4, a 10-year-old child and his friend were hit by a dirt bike rider on one of the city’s busiest streets.
asserted
child → hit → streets
The rider was one of many in a group illegally driving dirt bikes and ATVs.
asserted
rider → drive → bikes
Police went to the scene but did not pursue the drivers.
asserted
Police → go → drivers
The man who hit the child is still at large.
asserted
who → hit → child
He’s probably flying down city streets each weekend without a care in the world.
asserted
He → fly → world
This injustice reflects the pro-crime leadership of the left-wing Council of the District of Columbia.
asserted
injustice → reflect → Columbia
Under legislation passed in 2022, most police pursuits are banned, and the rest are strongly discouraged.
asserted
rest → pass → 2022
Countless serious criminals have avoided justice as a result.
asserted
criminals → avoid → result
The district’s vehicle-related crime problem extends far beyond joyriders.
asserted
problem → relate → joyriders
District criminals face new pressure from President Donald Trump’s successful crackdown on city crime, but they also know that after mugging, carjacking, shooting, or stealing from someone, their best move is to jump into a vehicle.
asserted
move → face → vehicle
If a police car attempts to pull them over, they need only speed away.
asserted
they → attempt → them
The police will not pursue them.
asserted
police → pursue → them
In those areas, there’s a good chance police will chase someone evading a stop.
asserted
police → ’ → stop
Federal law enforcement officers can also conduct pursuits in the district, as the U.S. Park Police did successfully two weeks ago.
asserted
Police → conduct → district
But Metropolitan Police Department officers are legally prevented from doing so in all but the most extreme situations.
asserted
officers → prevent → situations
They might be allowed to chase a driver firing a gun out of his window, for example, but that’s about it.
uncertain
that → allow → it
This restriction persists despite Trump’s crackdown.
asserted
restriction → persist → crackdown
On paper, the MPD can conduct pursuits when a violent crime has been committed or an evading driver poses a threat of serious bodily harm to others.
asserted
driver → conduct → others
But even in those circumstances, district law imposes a ludicrously long list of additional requirements that officers must satisfy to protect themselves legally.
asserted
officers → impose → themselves
They must make these complex decisions in the heat of the moment, so the rules deter officers and aid suspects.
asserted
rules → make → suspects
After an October 2020 crash in which a 20-year-old man was struck and killed by another vehicle after evading a police pursuit, two police officers were prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms.
asserted
officers → strike → terms
Trump pardoned the two men after returning to office in 2025, but the prosecution taught city police officers that doing their jobs thoroughly could put them in prison.
uncertain
doing → pardon → prison
Criminals know this.
asserted
Criminals → know → this
They know that a bike, moped, or car is the ultimate getaway vehicle.
asserted
bike → know → ?
They know they can escape by disregarding traffic laws rather than obeying an officer’s order to stop.
asserted
they → know → order
The best way to fix this would be for Congress to pass legislation superseding district law and authorizing vehicle pursuits whenever a suspect evades a lawful stop.
asserted
suspect → fix → stop
Failing that, Trump should declare a state of emergency and assume federal control of the MPD.
asserted
Trump → fail → MPD
The Justice Department could then authorize new pursuit rules.
uncertain
Department → authorize → rules
Trump could also withhold federal funding from the district until the council changes the law.
uncertain
council → withhold → law
Whatever option he chooses, Trump should act.
asserted
Trump → choose → option
No U.S. city, let alone the capital, should be a place where criminals need only drive away to escape justice.
asserted
criminals → let → justice
Police must be legally authorized to pursue those who break the law.
asserted
who → authorize → law
The Aporia
