The incident took place on Sunday on Interstate 40 in Arkansas. According to Arkansas State Police officials, the trooper had been engaged in a pursuit of two vehicles that were reportedly traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph. One of the suspects' vehicles was described as a white, four-door sedan.

Unfortunately, during the chase, the trooper misidentified a bystander's vehicle as the suspect's car and executed a PIT maneuver, crashing into the wrong vehicle and bringing it to a sudden halt. The entire incident was captured on dashcam footage, which showed the trooper's car speeding down I-40 in pursuit of the suspects. The trooper can be seen overtaking several cars before approaching the white sedan, which unexpectedly flashed its brake lights as the trooper closed in.

However, instead of realizing the sedan was not involved in the pursuit, the trooper rammed his vehicle into the rear left side of the innocent bystander's car, causing it to veer off the road and onto the shoulder of the highway. Miraculously, the driver and passenger of the wrongfully targeted vehicle emerged unscathed and declined medical attention, according to authorities.

A PIT maneuver, also known as a precision immobilization technique, is a tactic used by law enforcement to halt fleeing vehicles during pursuits. It involves the pursuing officer purposefully bumping the suspect's vehicle near the rear wheel, causing it to lose control and come to a stop. In this case, however, the trooper's mistaken identification led to a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation for an innocent motorist.

Following the incident, the trooper's supervisor immediately initiated an internal review, which is currently ongoing. The trooper involved in the crash, identified as Cpl. Thomas Hubbard, has since submitted his retirement letter and has not been on active duty since the mishap.

This incident highlights a concerning trend in the use of PIT maneuvers by the Arkansas State Police. In 2021, a woman in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against a state trooper, alleging that a PIT maneuver he performed in July 2020 resulted in her car flipping over while traveling at 60 miles per hour. A FOX16 investigation revealed that PIT maneuvers have been increasingly employed by the state police, with a total of 306 instances recorded between January 2017 and December 2020, half of which occurred in 2020 alone.

The use of PIT maneuvers has not been without controversy, as data from The Washington Post shows that at least 30 people have died and hundreds more have been injured in incidents involving these maneuvers since 2016. Alarmingly, 18 of these fatalities occurred when police attempted to stop individuals for minor traffic violations or speeding.

As investigations into this recent incident continue, concerns over the appropriateness and safety of using PIT maneuvers in law enforcement operations persist. It remains to be seen what actions will be taken to address these concerns and prevent future mishaps that could endanger innocent lives on the road.

(Note: Fox News' Paul Best contributed to this report.).