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FuzzyWulfe
Since: Nov, 2010

I see this situation arise on a lot of police procedurals, and was wondering if it has a trope name. Through previous scenes, the plot establishes that the detectives in charge of an investigation need to talk to a witness. For all they know, the guy merely saw something or knew something, so there's no apparent threat from him. In this trope, the witness is always at work when the detectives need to interview him. The detectives approach another employee, and ask where they can find the witness. The employee helpfully points out that the guy they're looking for is right over there, some distance away. Then, either the employee will yell out the witness's name and tell him that the cops need to talk to them, or the detectives will announce themselves, maybe flash their badges, then tell the witness that they have a few questions. The witness then takes off full speed in the opposite direction, knocking objects and people to the floor in the process, with the detectives in pursuit. This trope doesn't apply if the chase was unavoidable. It only applies when the detectives could have used a little more caution, such as announcing their presence after getting much closer to the witness.
Edited by dantesque17