City of Middletown v. Flinchum

The facts of this case are not in dispute. On April 23, 1999, Middletown police officers observed appellant Thomas Flinchum’s car stopped at a red traffic light. When the light changed, appellant spun the car’s tires. The officers then observed appellant stopping his car and then rapidly accelerating, causing the car to fishtail as it made a right turn. At this point, the officers decided to follow appellant. The officers attempted to approach appellant’s vehicle twice, but on both attempts, appellant fled from the police.

Finally, the officers observed appellant standing on the driver’s side…