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The fleeing driver who killed an uninvolved motorist moments after pursuers pulled back early Wednesday was nearing the threshold at which deadly force against him likely would have been justified, according to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol official.

The tragic conclusion to a dangerous situation underscores the high-stakes nature of how authorities decide to pursue a fleeing driver or terminate a chase. OHP Chief Rick Adams said in an interview with the Tulsa World that chases place officers in a “darned if you do and darned if you don’t” scenario.

Adams called the fleeing driver an “absolute imbecile” for the criminal actions that led to the death of motorist William Bruckman in a head-on collision on U.S. 75 near the Apache Street exit.

Adams noted that when the man drove a stolen Oklahoma Natural Gas truck onto the Tulsa International Airport grounds, the chances of “something going horribly wrong had just skyrocketed” and that he was “probably approaching the threshold” at which troopers would have been justified in using deadly force to stop him.

Before the pursuit went onto the airfield, the Sapulpa Police Department held the lead position because its officers had spotted the man prowling at a Sapulpa business and stealing the Oklahoma Natural Gas truck to get away.