The scene took place last Wednesday, August 19 in Los Angeles and was followed from the air by local television helicopters. The protagonist, later identified as Christian Fuenteswas riding on an MX motorcycle that, according to the police, had been stolen. The chase began shortly before 5:40 p.m. and ended more than an hour later in the south of the city.
The most striking thing is that, during all that time, the motorcyclist had several opportunities to stop and, instead of doing so, he turned the escape into a succession of decisions that were increasingly difficult to explain. By the way, you have the video below.
First stop: a gas station in full pursuit
One of the most surreal moments came when the motorist decided to stop at a gas station to refuel. So far it might seem like a logical maneuver for someone trying to keep a motorcycle running during a chase. The problem is that he had the police behind him.
The young man filled the tank and started off again, but left with something that normally should be left at the pump: the gasoline hose itself. The security camera recording shows how the motorcycle leaves the service station with the system still connected. From there, the chase continued through the streets of Los Angeles while several police units followed their movements.
The biker didn’t seem too concerned about keeping a low profile either. Aerial images show how he circulated without a helmet, used his mobile phone during the escape, went into alleys and crossed areas where passers-by had to quickly get out of the way.
When gas runs out, you have to improvise
The story still had another chapter. At one point during the chase, the motorcyclist left the streets and entered a park. There he found a container with gasoline that apparently someone had left ready. It is not clear who placed the fuel at that point, but the suspect took advantage of the situation to try to refill the tank.
And all this while a police patrol was practically behind him. The images show how the motorcyclist tries to put fuel on the motorcycle before accelerating again to continue the escape. Pedestrians who were in the park had to move out of the way when it went full blast.
He also had time to talk on the phone
Another especially striking detail was the use of the mobile phone during the chase. The subject even spoke on the phone while he continued to escape from the police and, according to the AIR7 team, at one point he was even talking to a photographer from the television station that was covering the chase from the helicopter.
It is difficult to imagine a more surreal situation: while several police cars try to stop you and a helicopter follows your every movement from the air, you decide to pick up the phone and talk to someone with the journalists who are precisely covering your escape.
The police lose sight of the motorcycle
The chase also had moments where officers temporarily lost visual contact with the suspect. The motocross bike’s ability to leave the asphalt and use parks, alleys and other spaces complicated tracking. Obviously.
Precisely that off-road nature was one of the factors that made the chase last so long. The pilot could continually change surfaces and use areas where police vehicles could not follow him as easily. However, aerial surveillance made it possible to keep the suspect located during a good part of the escape.
The chase ended because of gasoline
Paradoxically, what had allowed the motorcyclist to prolong the chase also ended up being what put an end to the escape. The motorcycle ended up running out of fuel. The suspect fell from the machine and attempted to continue fleeing on foot before looking for a place to hide. And the chosen hiding place was a blue recycling container located behind a home in south Los Angeles.
The agents ended up locating him there and detained him without any further incidents. Police had initially indicated that the suspect may be armed, but later confirmed that no gun had been recovered during the operation. The motorcycle, however, was listed as stolen.
The story also has an almost incredible detail: the persecution took place precisely on the day Christian Fuentes turned 19. Now, he faces felony charges related to evading police and vandalism.
The chase ended without serious victims and with the suspect detained. But for more than an hour, Los Angeles witnessed one of those scenes that seem too absurd to be real: a motorist fleeing from the police, stopping to refuel, escaping with the pump hose still attached, looking for gasoline in a park, talking on the phone and ending up hiding inside a container. And yes, everything was recorded from the air.
