By Police1 Staff
LAS VEGAS — Recently released body cam footage captured a chaotic scene as troopers pulled a driver to safety after ammunition went off inside a burning car.
On June 16, Nevada Highway Patrol Troopers Daniel Slattery and Christopher Black responded to a single-vehicle accident that was so severe that the vehicle burst into flames, KSNV reports. The troopers soon discovered that 1,000 rounds of ammunition were going off in the burning vehicle.
“You never know what you’re going to stumble on, out there on the highways. It can be crickets one moment and gunshots firing out of a burning vehicle the next,” said Trooper Travis Smaka, a spokesman for the NHP.
Despite the blaze sending the bullets flying all over the place, the troopers went in and managed to pull the driver to safety. Smaka praised the troopers for remaining calm under pressure despite facing flames and bullets.
“When you’re on the scene, you’re thinking you have a job to do. You have a duty to act, you do your job and then maybe an hour or two later, you’re like, ‘Ooooh, what was I just involved in,’” he said.
Smaka told KLAS that the troopers were uninjured, but it’s an experience they’ll never forget.
The driver, who’s suspected of driving under the influence, suffered a few broken bones but is expected to be OK. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.