Police Chase Ends with Heartfelt Hug Between Cop and Driver

A wild police pursuit in Kentucky ended in a most unique way ... when an officer hugged the distressed driver instead of slapping handcuffs on her.

Body cam footage captured the conclusion of a cop chase that reportedly spanned 2 counties Wednesday, after cops say Latrece Curry took off from a domestic dispute with her husband ... and fled when deputies tried to track her down.

It has all the makings of an intense confrontation -- several police vehicles surround Curry, sirens blare, cops approach with guns drawn -- but Hodgenville Police Chief James Richardson noticed something as he got closer and demanded she open her door ... she was completely terrified.

Chief Richardson says ... "The look on her face was of sheer terror. She was shaking and it was obvious she was scared. I talked to her to calm her down and then she hugged me. That has never happened to me after a pursuit." De-escalation at its finest.

The chief says Curry was shaking so badly she couldn't even get her seat belt off, so he helped her and she started crying and hugged him. He says he didn't perceive her to be a threat in any way.

As for why she fled police, Richardson told the New York Post, "She was just in the zone, she didn’t know what she was doing and she was extremely sorry." He says she simply made a bad choice.