Louisville Police publicly crushed a $100,000 Dodge Durango Hellcat and left car lovers shivering in order to send a strong message
Published on Mar 24, 2026 at 4:53 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 24, 2026 at 4:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Enthusiasts were left in tears after the Louisville Police Force took a $100,000 Dodge Durango Hellcat SUV and decided to crush it as a warning to street racers.
Yep, the Louisville Metro Police Department really did take an expensive muscle SUV and crush it to try to deter street racers and those who cause chaos in the city.
It transpired that this particular car was confiscated in 2024, but rather than sell it on, the police decided to send a message.
Naturally, online reaction saw many despair at the loss of a high-performance, and quite rare, Dodge SUV, and you can watch the footage of this down below.
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This is why the Dodge Durango Hellcat was crushed by the Louisville Police
The police stated that the 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat was confiscated in 2024.
The car was seized during a crackdown on street racing activities in the city.
Normally, a vehicle like this would be auctioned off or even repurposed for police work.
This time, though, the force wanted to send a message.
So the car was publicly crushed, with the police uploading images online of the SUV in the crusher.
It was a warning to those who engage in or are thinking of carrying on or starting street racing.
Most street racing is illegal, and the crushing aimed to show a zero tolerance towards it.
The footage of the car being crushed was uploaded onto the police department’s YouTube channel.
Enthusiasts were shivering at the crushing of the Dodge
Enthusiasts were left distraught at the sight of the car being crushed by the Louisville Police.
Not only is this a monster SUV, but it’s also one that began as a limited run.
The original run was meant to be the only one, but enough demand saw Dodge bring it back again.
Under the hood of the SUV is a monster 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine.
Normally found in a mighty muscle car, the engine produces a wild 710hp and 645lb-ft of torque.
As an SUV, it is four-wheel drive, and it comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Compared to other SUVs, the Durango Hellcat, banned in some U.S. states, is quite rare.
Hence, the shock at its crushing.
The SUV can start at a staggering $80,590, so it’s certainly not cheap.
But if you wanted to send a message to street racers, crushing a high-performance SUV could do the trick.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
