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VIDEO: Finnish Him: Nordic authorities' harpoon chase-ender amazingly never approved
Finnish police car chase harpoon -- Click above to watch video
The place is Finland. The car is a Mercedes 300 wagon. The place is Finland. The protrusion, like the figurehead adorning Ahab's Pequod, is a harpoon. Instead of catching whales, however, this harpoon was reportedly to be used to catch cars leading police on high-speed chases.
We won't even spoil it for you by telling you if or how it worked, or tell you about the extra prize for miscreants hidden inside the harpoon. Follow the jump to check it out. And then, even though the lance was apparently never adopted, we remind you: Don't get any funny ideas in Finland.
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Commander Cool 1:35PM (10/27/2009)
hell yeah, that's F'n metal. \m/
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PJ 2:02PM (10/27/2009)
I was thinking, about the only thing that could make this device cooler would be if, in addition to tear gas, it piped deafening Yngwie Malmsteen into the offending vehicle.
vkchu 4:12PM (10/27/2009)
'now your ships (cars) are burned (gassed)...'
The Hit 12:50AM (10/28/2009)
F'ing metal....yeah, that's what I was thinking when I saw the method of entry...
Gruv 1:43PM (10/27/2009)
Wouldn't high speed + tear gas= catastrophic crash?
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Thomas 1:49PM (10/27/2009)
Fatality
Redline 2:49PM (10/27/2009)
Finnish Him! HAHAHA!
The Hit 12:50AM (10/28/2009)
"Gruv wins."
AK 1:39PM (10/27/2009)
Probably something similar to subcutaneous emphysema: http://www.airahospital.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/img_3155.jpg
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turbo-quattro 1:57PM (10/27/2009)
down-ranked that post for putting terrible images in my mind.
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Matt W. 1:58PM (10/27/2009)
A harpoon is the natural weapon for anything that can't outrun a Mercedes 300 wagon on dry land.
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Shiftright 1:59PM (10/27/2009)
LEAVE THAT POOR SAAB 96 ALONE!!!
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Eidolon 2:05PM (10/27/2009)
I can see why it wasn't widely adopted.
In a high-speed chase, you're on someone's tail. Penetrate their trunk, release the tear gas, and...!
You've just gassed their luggage.
Then you have to hope they have a very leaky pass-through from the back seat to the trunk and don't think to roll down their windows.
This also poses something of a danger for the enforcer unlucky enough to be tasked with its use.
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nrb 2:31PM (10/27/2009)
What was my big concern. What good does it do to gas the trunk?
Also, are all squads supposed to drive around with that thing sticking out the front of them? I suppose you could rig a device to pop it out when needed. Give me a good old fashioned battering ram.
vkchu 4:15PM (10/27/2009)
@nrb: remember that knight rider episode where one of the 'enemy' cars had a fold down front grille w/ a rocket launcher? thats what the benz needs, stat.
nrb 10:19PM (10/27/2009)
vkchu, that sounds familiar. The problem is they'd have to bore a hole in the engine block of the MB.
Vincenzo 2:09PM (10/27/2009)
I know the Russian police uses in such cases a much simpler and more effective device called AK-47.
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The Hit 12:50AM (10/28/2009)
In russia, the getaway harpoons YOU...
mk15 2:18PM (10/27/2009)
I doubt this was supposed to be an effective tool to actually use. It is more of a deterrent. Although... most car chases are on stolen vehicles, so the driver doesn't care if the car gets damaged if they think they can get away.
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Joey Mazz 5:04PM (10/27/2009)
This was simply the result of a late night brainstorming session where law enforcement officers were coming up with crazy ideas for stopping speeders, and they actually acted on one of those crazy ideas. A high pressure cannon that shoots out a huge net would have also been a similarly bad idea.