Why would anyone do this?
By now you might have seen footage of a man stealing a police Dodge Charger and leading California Highway Patrol on a long pursuit before jumping out of the moving vehicle. The whole thing, which went down on March 28, is unbelievable and yet video proves it really happened.
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Just before the man jumped from the police vehicle, it was going about 70 mph. However, as the suspect dangled out of the open door and wasn’t pressing on the accelerator, that speed had dropped to about 45 mph. We still wouldn’t advise anyone to jump out of moving vehicle at that or any speed, especially directly onto pavement.
It looks like the man tried to land on his feet, but of course going that speed he quickly ended up on his back. It also looks like the man smacked his head on the pavement after falling. After CHP officers secured the man, one of them started performing chest compressions and he was rushed off the to hospital where he later reportedly died.
Stealing a police car is a bad idea, something the suspect decided to do after CHP responded to a two-vehicle collision at about 11:45 that morning. As police chased him, one officer successfully spiked the rear tires, which might have led to the suspect deciding to ditch the Charger. Why he didn’t stop the vehicle before jumping out isn’t clear.
According to Fox 11 in Los Angeles, the chase happened in Antelope Valley, which is in northern Los Angeles County and southeastern Kern County. After the suspect bailed out, the Dodge struck a power pole, creating another problem authorities had to address in the aftermath.
CHP hadn’t released the identity of the suspect as of the time this article was written.
Source and images: Fox 11 LA
