"Of course, if he shoots the engine or better yet, the tires, he might stop the car."
I agree. He should have shot the engine, although the resulting blast may have done lots of collateral damage. I once saw an episode of Kojak in which the hero shot a speeding '74 Lincoln at 650 yards with a a snubnosed .38 Special. The car exploded in a huge fireball with the first shot. That's what the deputy in this case should have done. I know it would have worked because I've seen it happen on television.
Well, we can at least thank our lucky stars it wasn't a God forsaken SUV.
I think it was Steven Wright who told the story about messing with a hitchhiker. After he picked him up, he accelerated the car and told him, "Put on your seatbelt. I saw this in a cartoon once and I think I can do it".