In action movies, it’s not unusual to see characters pull risky, but strategic moves with their cars during high-speed chases.
The precision and force with which stunt drivers make these impressive moves has led some fans to dub this aggressive driving style “Car Fu.”
While such bold actions may seem limited to a ‘Fast And The Furious’ marathon, life doesn’t always leave us time for careful planning and risk-free solutions.
So while it’s definitely recommended not to try these stunts at home, one woman didn’t have a choice when another driver put a family in mortal danger.
In a video uploaded on Facebook by the Phoenix Police Department, we can see a couple with a stroller start to cross the street.
At first, the situation seems normal and the only cars that are coming anywhere near them are turning in accordance to the rules of the road.
One of these cars is a black Chevrolet Cruze and its driver obviously saw something the couple didn’t.
You can see this driver who police have now dubbed a hero on the far left side of this photo.
Suddenly, a grey Jeep speeds into view about six seconds into the video.
As indicated from how blurry it appears in this image, it’s going far faster than any other car in the intersection and makes no attempt to stop for the red light.
This means the couple and their baby were directly in its path by this point.
However, the Jeep would not get a chance to reach them.
As soon as the Jeep careens into the intersection, the Cruze immediately rams into its left side.
The impact then forces the Jeep to the side as some of its wheels briefly lift off the ground.
We can then see the couple quickly and safely cross the street behind the cars as the vehicles spin out.
Watch the full video here .
The 27-year-old woman who stopped the Jeep sustained injuries during the crash, but police said they weren’t life-threatening.
In their post, the police referred to the driver who blocked the pedestrian as “a hero in the form of a Chevy Cruz” and credited her with saving lives.
The contrast with the Jeep driver couldn’t be more clear.
As Buzzfeed News reported , the driver of the Jeep and his passenger got out of the vehicle and tried to flee the scene.
However, they were soon followed by another driver.
When this witness approached the Jeep’s driver, he warned them to stop and then stabbed their car door.
The driver has since been identified as Ernesto Otanez Oveso and police arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence and aggravated assault.
As police later found a gun in his vehicle, Oveso was also booked for suspicion of unlawfully possessing a firearm.
The woman accompanying him got away, however.
The driver of the Cruze, however, isn’t so sure she’s a hero.
As Shannon Vivar said at a press conference , intervening in the situation wasn’t her plan.
“Even though it wasn’t my intention to, the way I see it was, it was meant to happen that way.”
Vivar had her mother and her three-year-old son in the car with her at the time.
She said she didn’t see the Jeep at first and can’t remember whether she hit the brake or sped up, and added that if she had tried to avoid the Jeep, she probably would have hit the pedestrians pushing the stroller.
For their part, the pedestrians didn’t realize how close it all was until they saw the footage later.
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“I can’t believe it was that close,” Gabrielle Burns told KPNX .
h/t: Buzzfeed News
