Stolen Mustang Leads LA Police on Bizarre Chase

For those of you who live in Los Angeles, police chases are a pretty common occurrence. Well, at least that’s what we outsiders think. But some of these chases are a bit out of the ordinary, as was the chase earlier today involving a Ford Mustang convertible and a tour of the greater Los Angeles area.

The suspects allegedly stole a car and led the police on a high-speed chase. The car was a blue Mustang convertible. Apparently, at some point during the car’s theft, the suspects attempted to raise the convertible top — it was raining in LA — but only managed to lift it about halfway. Not only did that detail bother me, but it bothered my followers on Twitter.

There were several odd moments during this chase, which at sometimes took place at or below the speed limits. The suspects led police on a sightseeing tour of the greater Los Angeles area, hitting up the major freeways, driving down Mulholland, and even doing donuts on Hollywood Blvd. They seemed to be having more fun with the chase than they were afraid of being arrested.

At one point on the freeway, a TMZ tour bus tried to block the Mustang and the drivers just went around them. So much for the news network trying to become the news. At one point, though, the Mustang’s front passenger tire does deflate, but that doesn’t stop the suspects.

After several hashtag fail attempts at stopping the Mustang by police, the suspects took to the side streets. Interestingly, they were stopping at red lights. They were signaling their intent to turn. They were following practically all the traffic laws. Yet, the police just hung back.

The newsreaders on the live stream that I was watching was suggesting that the suspects were talking to people passing by, and even waving for photographs and flipping the cops the bird. However, they may have been using the peace sign instead, based on this tweet from a photojournalist who was on the ground and watched the Mustang blitz by.

Interestingly, the police never move in to take the car out. The suspects end up driving to what appears to be their home, getting out and chilling by the car for at least 7 minutes before the police show up. They are greeted by people in the neighborhood like they are celebrities, taking selfies and all. Finally, the police move in and make the arrest. The suspect surrender peacefully.

Hopefully we’ll hear more about this story and why these folks did this. It’s curious because it seemed to be their goal all along to get attention, not hurt anyone, and not put anyone’s lives in danger. A police chase at or below the speed limit, while obeying traffic lights and stop signs isn’t particularly dangerous. They also surrendered without incident, especially when they had more than enough ample time to run.

Now, only if they would have stolen a new Camaro they could’ve operated that convertible top at speeds up to 31 miles-per-hour.

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts about this chase in the comments or over in our forums!

via [The Ignition Blog, Twitter, and Jalopnik]

Chad Kirchner

Chad Kirchner is a regular contributor to Corvette Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other auto sites.

Facebook