Friday, January 01, 2010

Whoa! I can't imagine driving like this!

Best I can make out, this occurred in Southern California back in April.

A driver tried to ram a Long Beach car, prompting an hour-long, high-speed chase in which the woman drove the car in circles, went the wrong way on a tollway and even got out of the car to gesture at officers.

The woman was arrested after about a 40-mile pursuit. No injuries were reported, but the woman endangered motorists on four freeways, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers said.

The chase began when Long Beach officers went to an intersection shortly after 6 a.m. in response to a report of a woman screaming. A car tried to ram their police cruiser three times and then fled, Long Beach police Officer Jackie Bezart said.

After an eight-minute chase through Long Beach, the driver got onto a freeway and the CHP was notified. Officers chased the silver Scion into Orange County at speeds that sometimes topped 100 mph, authorities said. Television news helicopters carried the chase live.

On the SR 241 tollway in Rancho Santa Margarita--where the video clips below were shot--the woman made "doughnuts" while driving on both shoulders of the road, briefly drove the wrong way then got out of the car and gestured with both hands at officers before returning to the slowly rolling vehicle and driving off.

Shortly thereafter, a patrol car rammed the back of the Scion, spinning it around in an attempt to stop it, but the driver managed to flee once more.

The car finally was stopped at the end of the tollway in an unincorporated area near Rancho Santa Margarita after being bumped a second time. The Scion was boxed in and swarmed by officers, including one who jumped onto the roof. The woman was pulled through the car's window, forced to the ground and handcuffed.

First video, covering the end of the chase played at a slightly faster-than-normal pace (maybe 120% of real life) and set to humorous music (0:54):



Second video, a more sober summary of the story with the same basic video but shot from a different angle (1:56):



Glad I have not found myself confronted by drivers like this!

. . . And if they aren't enough, and you really want to get your blood pumping . . .

How about this a police chase of a stretch limo going upwards of 150 mph--with a goodly portion of the chase conducted while the limo driver is driving his vehicle in reverse (3:42)?!?

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