A Minnesota man was cited for driving his Camaro 171 miles per hour on a highway near the city of Duluth on Friday.
Deputy Chief Shawn Padden of the Hermantown Police Department clocked the sports car at 171 mph — more than 100 mph over the 65 mph limit — while working a DWI enforcement shift on Highway 61,
the Star Tribune reported.
As the 2016 Camaro Coupe sped past, Padden gave chase, reaching speeds of 130 to 140 mph in his Dodge Charger before catching up to the driver, who turned out to be Joshua M. Johnson, 36, of Duluth.
“I was thinking that at least this better be somebody famous so I could get an autograph,” Padden told the Star Tribune.
Johnson, who had a female passenger, was cited for careless driving. He could face 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, and lose his driver’s license.
Padden said Johnson was the fastest speeder he’s seen in his 28-year career.
“I don’t know if he just got it off the showroom floor and wanted to see what it could do,” Padden told the Star Tribune. “He’s fortunate nothing came across the road. There would have been a double fatality.”
In February, a Nissan Sentra was clocked at 137 mph on the same stretch of road,
the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Padden told the Duluth News Tribune that it was good Johnson pulled over quickly once he saw the flashing lights “because we'd probably be in Canada right now.”
“The first speed that came up was 171, then 168 and then 143,” Padden told the newspaper. “When he went by me it was a blur. You get used to seeing people going 65 or 70 and what that looks like. But I've never seen anything like this. It's like a rocket on wheels at that point."
Motor Authority reported that Johnson “may have just done Chevrolet a favor by showing the incredible capability of the 2016 Camaro SS.”
The publication said the car has a drag limit of 180 mph.
Twitter users seemed impressed by the incident.