Man Steals Police Car While Being Arrested For Stealing Another Police Car

Updated September 7, 2021

When we see an intense action movie or play a similarly exhilarating game like Grand Theft Auto, we can find ourselves experiencing the kind of excitement we're not likely to come across in real life.

And since it usually goes against the point of this kind of entertainment to be realistic, it's not just that we don't think we can personally escape the FBI in a stolen helicopter or outrun the police in their own vehicles. As enjoyable as it is to see in fiction, we also understand that it would be pretty far-fetched to expect anyone to do that in real life.

And while that remains somewhat true in one case from Canada that we're about to discuss, it also shows that real life can get closer to the ludicrous high-octane stunts we see in the movies than we might expect.

On March 22, police in scenic Lévis, Quebec had a dangerous and embarrassing situation on their hands.

Wikimedia Commons | abdallah

As the CBC reported, they requested backup from the provincial police known as Sûreté du Québec at about 12:30 pm to deal with a fleeing suspect.

They described this person as a "disorganized" man in his 30s whose behavior was characterized as "not normal."

So what was the embarrassing part? Well, the fact that he was fleeing in one of their own cars.

Reddit | aleklud

According to The Montreal Gazette, his unspecified behavior attracted police attention and at some point during their contact, he managed to steal the squad car before heading south on Highway 73.

But once officers from Sûreté du Québec responded, they found that even a spike strip couldn't slow the suspect down.

Reddit | Shlumpedsyd

As a representative from the provincial police told the CBC, "The manoeuvre was not successful and the individual hit a concrete wall before continuing on his way."

Although a second spike strip eventually brought the stolen police car to a stop at 1:30 pm, that didn't mean the chase was over yet.

Wikimedia Commons | Hillelfrei

And according to the representative, nor would it be the last time that day that the man would steal a police car.

In a statement to The Montreal Gazette, they said he "resisted arrest, assaulted a police officer and succeeded, for a short time, in commandeering an SQ patrol vehicle."

After this second police car theft, the man was finally arrested and taken to hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Wikimedia Commons | Kingrise

As the CBC reported, two officers experienced non-life threatening injuries during the incident, with one being hospitalized.

The Sûreté du Québec's major crimes unit has now taken over the investigation.

h/t: CBC, The Montreal Gazette

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