Police 'Chase' Ends in a Hug

MARTIN COUNTY, FL — When it comes to hot pursuits, deputies are usually on the chasing end with lights blazing, sirens blaring and radio traffic buzzing.

That wasn’t the case in Martin County recently when Deputy Ryan Pfeifle found himself the subject of a heated pursuit. It seems Pfeifle was wrapping up a call at Treasure Coast Square mall when he realized he was being followed. Tuned into his law enforcement senses, the deputy turned around just in time to discover he was indeed being chased. Not by a bad guy, though. This particular pursuer was a pint-sized girl with a passion for law enforcement officers.

“During this pursuit, all you could see was a little flowered dress, tiny sandals, and blonde hair trailing in the wind as 3-year-old Jayla Eaton chased down Deputy Ryan Pfeifle,” the sheriff’s office explained on its Facebook page.

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It seems little Jayla spotted the deputy as he was wrapping up his call and “took off running, determined to catch up to him.”

Catch up to him she did and she got what she came for, too.

“She wanted to hug him,” the sheriff’s office noted. “Deputy Pfeifle, who recently became a brand new daddy himself, was more than happy to comply.”

After that hug, Pfeifle even showed Jayla and her mother, Angie Hart, his cruiser. For her troubles, Jayla was named the Martin County Sheriff’s Office’s first official “Junior Deputy” of 2016.

The honor is one Hart says is a very big deal for her daughter. It seems Jayla has aspirations of one day becoming a law enforcement officer herself.

“Police protect me,” she told Officer.com.

As for her future fellow deputies in Martin County, they’re happy for Jayla’s show of support.

“Congratulations Jayla, and thank you for sharing the love,” the Facebook post concluded.

Photo from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page