Direct from the “Department of Irony” comes a man from Buffalo, New York who, according to the New York State Police, was driving a Dodge Challenger without license plates. Troopers tried to initiate a traffic stop when the driver took off at high speed. The driver got boxed in by heavy traffic and was arrested. The ironic part is the driver had a sticker on his Dodge Challenger that read: “Sorry Officer I Thought You Wanted to Race.”
On April 4, 2026, New York State Troopers out of SP Clarence were running a cooperative speed enforcement detail with the Buffalo Police Department along Route 33. During patrol, police say they spotted the 2015 Challenger cruising without license plates. The chase didn’t last long, according to authorities; the Challenger exited onto Route 198 and almost immediately ran into congestion. With nowhere to go, the car was boxed in, so troopers moved in and arrested a man they identified as Elias E. Cook, 23, of Buffalo without incident.
New York State Police
Cook may have thought his bumper sticker would get some laughs at the local Cars and Coffee, but it didn’t land quite the same during a traffic stop-turned-chase that ended with him facing multiple charges, include unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree. He was also issued a stack of vehicle and traffic tickets. Cook was transported to SP Buffalo, processed, and released. He was given an appearance ticket to the City of Buffalo Court for April 22, 2026.
Consider this yet another example that proves that no matter how powerful and fast your car is, trying to outrun the police on traffic congested roads, or any road for that matter, is a very poor decision. Especially if you have a bumper sticker that will look awfully silly if it shows up in body camera footage.
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