Four comments--
1. At the speed they were going their only recourse was to hit the ditch because no way in hell could they have seen that road block around that corner.
2. What a STUPID place to set up a road block.
3. I bet that idiot cop standing along side of his vehicle who just about got taken out won't do that again.
4. Why not use spike strips. You can't tell me none of those cops had them. It was a perfect road to use them on.
Obviously, you didn't go to police tactics school.
1. The whole idea is for them to hit the ditch, not the roadblock.
2. A perfect place for a roadblock because Finicum clearly wasn't expecting it.
3. The cops use their vehicles for protection. It was well-known that everyone in the white truck was probably armed and already fleeing from the first stop.
4. See #1. Spike strips would have allowed Bundy & Co. to exit the vehicle on their terms, and possibly head into the trees for a shootout with the law. The sudden stop in the snow allowed the OSP to have the upper hand right away.
This was executed perfectly by the OSP, and the outcome was about as good as could be expected under the circumstances. All they had to do was stay in the truck, and everyone would be alive. No mass executions, no hands behind the head and on their knees.
Excellent police work.