The Indiana State Police bomb squad vehicle was responding to an emergency call when local police officers in the small town of Austin, Indiana blew its tyres and detained its driver at gunpoint, newly-released footage shows.

The incident in September 2025 caused a two-hour delay in the bomb squad’s response to a suspected pipe bomb as the driver was forced to wait for a replacement tyre, WAVE 3 News reports.

Bodycam footage shows the extent to which the local police force’s officers and dispatchers struggled to make sense of what was going on.

At one point, dispatchers establish that the licence plate belongs to a fleet vehicle registered with a state department, but neither dispatchers nor officers appear to understand what a fleet vehicle is. “I looked it up, but it just says they help purchase vehicles,” a dispatcher says.

Finally, a dispatcher from the state police force gets in touch and confirms the authenticity of the vehicle, leading local police to apologise for “the big mishap” – while one officer says to himself: “I just spiked a f***ing state cop.”

While awaiting the replacement tyre, a state police officer arrives to take statements from all involved. “Let’s all get out of here and forget this mess,” he concludes.