GM's OnStar Used to End High Speed Chase

OnStar, the General Motors service that most people equate with getting into a car you have been locked out of, has been used to end a high speed pursuit. OnStar only began offering remote disabling in this manner earlier this year.

Jose Ruiz's 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe was carjacked at gunpoint, but OnStar was used to both find the vehicle, and then disable the car's gas pedal. This was the first time the new disabling feature has been used to end a high-speed chase.

As the vehicle ground to a halt, the carjacker fled. However, he fell into a pool in a backyard while trying to escape and was captured. The 21-year-old suspect was jailed and faces preliminary charges of robbery, carjacking, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

Frequently, high-speed chases end badly, with a collision. Sometimes innocent people are hurt, as well as the criminal, or even police. Ending a chase in this manner is a far better option.

Of course, OnStar is only offered on GM vehicles, and not all of them have this new feature. Additionally, only the first year of OnStar is free; after that, owners must pay for the OnStar service.