A car thief fleeing police across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge tried to escape by climbing underneath the lengthy span in a death-defying attempt to make his getaway.
Heart-pounding drone footagereleased by the San Francisco Police Department showed the dramatic ordeal unfold on April 1.
The aerial footage shows several police vehicles pursuing the unidentified suspect, who eventually stops the car on the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.
He is then seen climbing under the span 4.5-mile span, at one point hanging from a steel beam, until crisis negotiators coaxed him back up and arrested him.
“With crisis negotiators and aerial support in place, the incident concluded with the suspect taken into custody without further incident,” the SFPD said.
The California Highway Police was also involved in the pursuit, which began when police discovered that the suspect was reported to be driving a stolen Honda.
“A vehicle pursuit then ensued throughout city streets that eventually made its way onto the Bay Bridge,” SFPD Officer Robert Ruecatold KTVU.Officers attempted to use spike strips to stop the car, but they didn’t work.
Drones were then used to locate the suspect and track his position. Rueca said such technology has been essential in fighting crime.
WATCH: On April 1, a stolen vehicle pursuit becomes critical when the suspect exits the vehicle and climbs beneath the Bay Bridge. A coordinated response leads to the suspect being taken into custody without further incident.pic.twitter.com/D59eRF9MtB
“The voters of San Francisco have allowed us to use this technology to make the streets as safe as we can,” he said.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
