Heroes or Vigilantes? Canadian citizens go on 100-mph chase in Porsche 997 to catch suspected rapist

Here's the facts: Two Canadian men in a Porsche 997 encountered a woman (who jumped in front of their car) claiming that a man in a nearby Pontiac Wave (that's a Chevrolet Aveo to me and you) had just tried to assault her. The woman climbed in the back of the 997, and with the police on the phone, the Porsche boys chased the Pontiac all over Ottawa at speeds up to 170 km/h (around 105 mph). The chase, which sometimes involved residential roads, lasted about 20 minutes with the perp finally heading the wrong way through a McDonald's drive through and entering a roadblock set up by the police.

Now, of course, the police knew where the Pontiac was because of the actions of the men in the Porsche. And therein lies the dilemma. In Canada, "some [are] hailing the men as heroes while others are denouncing them as reckless cowboys." Ottawa Police Chief Vern White says that the dispatcher should have told the men in the Porsche to stop their pursuit – but didn't. As far as heroics, "When they put her in the back of the car, that was heroism," White said. "What happened after wasn't." Your thoughts? Thanks to Ben for the tip!

[Source: TheStar]