That's one way to get away from the police. But not a very good way. Reportedly, an unidentified man fleeing police in a Honda Civic flew off a Bay Area bridge in California over the weekend, falling over 100 feet before a deadly, fiery crash, according to police.
Car chases are a staple in the country, but only a few have such dramatic endings, where a car is flung off a bridge.
Reportedly, the chase began on Interstate 80 Sunday evening, it headed eastbound through multiple counties. The chase concluded when the suspect reached the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett, where the driver lost control around a curve and crashed over the edge, a California Highway Patrol [CHP] spokesman told Fox News.
The vehicle, which was stolen, reportedly burst into flames as it hit the ground. The driver was apparentlynso badly burned that the investigators couldn't identify him immediately, the East Bay Times reported. The suspect was the only casualty of the crash.
The car landed on the beach east of the bridge. Police said it was moving at "a high rate of speed" during the chase.
The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office, which in accordance with a county protocol has looked into all law enforcement-related deaths, said an investigation was ongoing but had no further comment as of Tuesday afternoon.
Apart from this tragic incident, the CHP announced Tuesday that due to the coronavirus stay-at-home order, traffic incidents – including crashes and DUI arrests – were in decline across the state's roads.
The CHP reported heartening numbers with traffic crashes down by 75 percent between March 19 and April 30 this year compared to the same period in 2019. And traffic deaths were down by a staggering 88 percent.
California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley urged drivers to follow the speed limit, which we have to say is a pretty reasonable request. He added that drivers were easier to spot when they were on a nearly empty roadway.
He went on to remind the people that taking care of one another went beyond only wearing a face mask and social distancing. He added that as communities in California moved into the next phases of reopening, they should continue to slow down, pay attention to the road, drive sober, and keep themselves and those around them from becoming a grim statistic.
