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Texas cops pull armed suspect from burning car

A high-speed chase through Fort Worth, Texas ended in dramatic fashion earlier this month when FWPD pulled armed burglary suspects from the burning wreckage of their escape vehicle. According to NBC DFW, Fort Worth police were dispatched to Avington Way on the evening of July 16 to investigate reports of a burglary. The burglary victim told police he had arrived home to find three individuals hauling his property out of his house. When he approached them, one of the suspects pointed a handgun at him and told him to stay back. Then all three suspects climbed into a silver Dodge Avenger and sped away. FWPD officers spotted the Avenger a short time later on Sycamore School Road and, after the car refused to pull over, the chase was on. Police chased the burglary suspects through the city at speeds approaching 100 mph until the Avenger blew a red light and was t-boned by an oncoming pickup at the intersection of California Parkway and James Avenue. As the pursuing officers closed in on the disabled car, it suddenly caught fire. One suspect bailed out and ran for it, but the remaining two were trapped inside with the flames quickly mounting. Despite the spreading fire and the threat of armed suspects in the vehicle, police officers rushed to pull the men from the wreck. The driver was removed easily, but the passenger was unconscious and trapped behind a crushed passenger door. The scene was caught on the officers' body cameras as they pried the door open with their bare hands. Eventually the officers got the semi-conscious man out of the passenger seat just as the car was completely engulfed in flames. "It was pretty dramatic. We recruit people that can think on the fly, think quickly, and perform under pressure," FWPD Sergeant Marc Povero told WFAA. All three suspects are facing charges for burglary, and the driver was charged with evading arrest. News Source: WFAA, NBC DFW Auto News Chevrolet Dodge Driving Safety Truck Police/Emergency Sedan fire car fire burglary

More Corvette Stingray Factoids: Vanishing panel gaps and 26-mpg LT1

During January's Detroit Auto Show, we managed a longer than expected wandering tag-team interview with C7 Corvette chief engineering exec Tadge Juechter (pictured above), and LT1 engine boss Jordan Lee (pictured below). They are, quite honestly, two of the very nicest bigshot lads to ever walk the engineering corridors of an American manufacturer. Both are enthralled by what they're doing for a day job. So are we.
We've followed the pre-sale anticipation for the Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray like an Oreck vacuum yanking every speck of dirt from a well-trampled carpet. Everything is reportable and contains a grain of further knowledge about this dramatically important and cheered-for car, as it continues to be pressured into representing all that is superior about the American dream. The Corvette wears one heavy cloak.
So, most of what was talked about has been expertly reported already right here on Autoblog. But, looking through our notes again, both Jeuchter and Lee added facts to the buzzing mix.

Next Chevy Silverado could get this built-in tailgate step

General Motors just received patent approval for a tailgate step in a pickup bed. And given the timing, don't be surprised if you see this on the upcoming 2019 Silverado pickup (not the mention its GMC Sierra twin), expected to arrive in late 2018. According to the patent, granted in December of last year, the whole mechanism is housed in the tailgate assemble. The magic happens when a portion of the top half of the tailgate swings down and a step folds out. There's also a handle that locks into position to help climb up into the bed. As trucks get bigger and taller over the years, it gets harder and harder to access the cargo bed. Ford's solution with the 2009 F-150 was a step that slides out from the end of the tailgate. Back then, Chevy made an ill-advised ad highlighting the feature for Ford. And while Howie Long mocked the F-150's "man step" Ford saw almost a third of its trucks with the option in the first year. The GM design seems to improve on Ford's idea as it appears to be wider and has a back to the lower step. That is, you don't have to worry about stepping through the ladder-rung design as on the F-150. Ford's tailgate step later spread to the F Super Duty, and other cargo access assists have proliferated through the truck world. On the most recent redesign, the Chevrolet Silverado took a trick from the Avalanche and added cutouts to the corners of the rear bumper that act as a foothold. Ford also offers a deployable side step, Chevrolet has running boards that scoot rearward with a kick of the boot, and Ram offers fixed wheel-to-wheel side rails. Nissan is in on the game too, with an optional folding step that tucks under the rear bumper. We don't expect Chevrolet to comment on when or if we'll see this feature in the showrooms. But given that engineers are already hard at work on the next Silverado and the timing of this patent lines right up with the new truck's development cycle, we'll be disappointed if this patent stays in the file cabinet. Related Video: