One little detail made all the difference…
A police chase in Los Angeles got underway after a man took a Chrysler 300 when it was stopped in the south portion of the city by the harbor. Even though police weren’t hot on his tail, the driver pushed the car hard along the Hollywood Freeway, wound throw tight residential streets, and did everything he could think of to ditch them. Ultimately, his downfall was a simple oversight many have fallen victim to throughout the years: the car ran out of gas.
See a rental Corvette lead police on a chase here.
Police in the Los Angeles area unfortunately have a lot of experience with dangerous pursuits. They hang back so the guy doesn’t see cops right behind him and take even more risks, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Meanwhile, a police helicopter and news chopper shadow the Chrysler the entire time, so he never was going to get away. It’s kind of entertaining to watch the futility of his poorly thought-out plan.
There’s a lot of controversy these days about police pursuits. Actually, there’s evidence even back during the Prohibition days people would debate whether cops should give chase to criminals in cars since the public could be put at risk. Some point out criminals will still drive fast to get away, even if police don’t pursue. Others think it’s the cops’ fault if a fleeing criminal injures or kills an innocent bystander. This scenario will likely be interpreted by people based on their predisposed biases, but it is interesting to watch how the police handle it.
Almost as entertaining as the actual chase is the commentary of the news crew during the pursuit. The reporter in the helicopter struggles for even the most basic words to describe what’s going on right before viewers eyes. Then the anchors back in the newsroom jump in to supposedly help, offering more lively if not more relevant commentary like “ooh, he’s going so fast” or “just blew through a stop sign.”
From the stammering commentary of the reporter in the helicopter, it sounds like the owner of this Chrysler 300 was carjacked while stopping to refuel. Sadly, gas stations can be dangerous places since we often don’t pay close attention to what’s going on around us, instead focusing on our vehicle and the gas pump.
At the same time, this criminal wasn’t really paying attention when he took the Chrysler 300, which was obviously low on fuel and that’s why the owner was stopped at a gas station. After less than 15 minutes the pursuit is over after the car runs on fumes, becoming the slowest police pursuit we’ve seen in a long time before the Chrysler 300 dies. This guy isn’t exactly a criminal mastermind.
Two details about the car are mysterious. One is the bight yellow oval sticker at the top of the windshield like what you see at used car lots. Was the Chrysler 300 recently sold or being driven by a dealership employee? There’s the outline of what appears to be tape in a rectangular shape below it like a window sticker was attached as well. White splatter on the hood and roof could have been some epic bird droppings, maybe from seagulls, or perhaps they were something else? We don’t really know but they sure are interesting details.
