WHEN ROAD RAGE WEARS A BADGE

Jeffrey L. Cook ran from the Sheriff's undercover narcs in a high speed, 100 mile per hour chase down Market Street at 8 o'clock at night as tourists and families look right and left for parking places, turns and restaurants without a line waiting out front. Glad they saw the unmarked SUV's trailing after him with their Starsky and Hutch lights stuck to the roof and avoided a certain tragedy.

The chase, just like the chase the summer of 2005 that resulted in a near death experience for driver Tiffany Pridgen when her car she was trying to race away from the County drug agents, this risk of human life is over a hand to hand drug deal, crashed her car into a church causing it to catch fire. Cook crashed his car into a series of parked cars at a Hooters restaurant.

I have been told by several sources that the chase ended and the suspect was apprehended by WPD K9 officer Pellegrino, Cook was cuffed behind his back and searched for any weapons or contraband. The suspect was led down a flight of stairs at the Days Inn Motel on Market. At the bottom of the stairs a large plain clothed deputy with the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office hastily approached the suspect and surrounding officers, gun waving as he yelled and cursed the suspect Cook. The deputy then proceeded to yank down the suspects pants and pick him up into the air and slam his handcuffed body down to the pavement.

Is everyone on steroids at the Sheriff's department? Why all this overreaction?

Chase adrenaline rush, deputies all pumped up and ready to tear the head off of the fleeing suspect. We have seen it in youtube videos where an officer just looses it and knocks the suspect senseless. Then some video tape shows up and the country views the extremely violent act that betrays the 99% of those serving and protecting us day after day and believe it is typical. The good cops living under the shameful light left behind by those who betrayed the community trust by committing violent, criminal acts.

This act of brutality was witnessed by 50 to 100 citizens as they left their seats in the restaurants and stopped their cars to watch the foot chase and arrest of Jeffrey Cook, a drunk driver who led a group of more than 10 blue lighted Highway Patrol and Sheriff cars with sirens blaring down Market Street at 100 MPH and finally crashing into the parking lot next to Sticky Fingers. What these citizens may have erroneously believed to have witnessed, was a cop doing his "job" by beating a man down to teach him to submit. Witnesses have become immune, desensitized, by the media's images of similar acts. I mean my God didn't the deputy who shot and killed an unarmed teenager, here in Wilmington, get heralded recently as a hero? How petty this professional wrestling move must have seemed in comparison to those who curiously stood and watched law enforcement in action. And sadly what they saw was the blatant use of excessive force, a cold slap to the face of the good men and women of law enforcement who know better than use excessive force. I am shocked that he hasn't been fired yet.

Shame on the New Hanover County Sheriff's deputy that did that. We know your name. Seek some professional help!