Photo: Constable Josh Joplin Smith County Precinct 4
A police officer in Texas is being praised for saving a dog from a burning car. Constable Josh Joplin of Smith County Precinct 4 said that Lt. Josh Hill was on patrol when he attempted to pull over a driver who nearly struck his vehicle at a high rate of speed.
The driver refused to pull over and led Hill on a chase for nearly ten minutes. The high-speed chase came to an end when the driver crashed into the woods. As the driver fled on foot, the car burst into flames.
As Hill went to check on the car, he noticed there was a dog sitting inside. He braved the flames, managed to open the door, and tried to coax the dog out. The dog initially refused to leave, so Hill climbed into the vehicle, grabbed the dog by the collar, and pulled it to safety.
The dog was fine, and Hill suffered minor burns to his fingers.
Officials did not provide details about what happened to the driver.
"We are very proud to have outstanding peace officers such as Lt. Hill here in Precinct 4," Joplin wrote on Facebook.
He also shared a video of the daring rescue.