A video of a police chase in California is making the rounds on social media after police were momentarily unable to find a suspect hiding behind a car while an aerial reporter commentated live on the air.
Police pursuits aren't uncommon in California; more than 8,800 pursuits were reported in 2019 alone. In this particular pursuit, Sky Fox news helicopter reporter Stu Mundel saw the alleged suspect hiding behind a blue vehicle as several officers pulled up next to it, but the officers ran right past the car and the suspect.
"Come on, guys! He's right there!" said Mundel imploringly.
It all started just after 8 a.m. when the LAPD received a report of a stolen vehicle, according to Fox11 in Los Angeles. The driver, in the allegedly stolen vehicle, refused to stop for officers, taking members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on a chase.
Instead of stopping, the driver began traveling at a high rate of speed on the interstate and eventually exited, making his way to city streets. Fox11 says that during the chase, the driver of the allegedly stolen car did make contact with two vehicles before rear-ending a third.
The man continued driving with a severely damaged front bumper until, while attempting to cross a busy street, hit a fourth vehicle. This collision caused the vehicle in question to spin slightly and come to a stop.
The driver is then spotted exiting the vehicle and attempts to evade officers on foot. The suspect runs down a mostly empty street until he comes across a blue vehicle and decides to hide behind it for cover, tucking himself in a fenced corner by the car's bumper.
Several police vehicles eventually pull up next to the blue car and a handful of officers get out of their cars, but, at first, none of the responding officers see the crouching suspect. Instead, all of the officers run past him and up the road out of sight of the camera.
"Going right by him! They are going right by him!" Mundel said astoundedly.
He then mentions that his pilot is in communication with the officers on another line, telling them of the suspect's location. The officers can then be seen running back into view, toward the blue vehicle and the crouching suspect, but pass him again.
Mundel then informs viewers that "You have to understand that these officers don't know what, the information that we know." He also mentions that an LAPD helicopter has arrived on the scene.
Six officers can then be seen just mere feet from the suspect, all searching in different directions.
"They haven't seen him yet! This is unbelievable!" Mundel exclaims.
Seconds later, officers head back toward the blue car and moments later converge on the suspect still crouched. As the officers do find their suspect and place him into custody, an audible gasp can be heard.
The man in the helicopter then apologizes saying, "Sorry about that. It got a little tense there at the end."
A female voice responds, giving a description of the station's newsroom during the chase and search sequence.
"It was tense indeed. If you could hear the newsroom exploding," she said.
It's unclear if there were any injuries associated with the car chase at this time. Also, it's not known what charges may be brought against the suspect.
Newsweek reached out to LAPD for comment but did not hear back before publication.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
