NBC Cuts Away From Olympics Coverage To Air Insane Car Chase
By Bill Galluccio
February 21, 2018
Residents in the Los Angeles area who were watching the Olympics on their local NBC-affiliate were treated to a familiar sight on Tuesday night when the Olympic broadcast was preempted to air live car chase through the streets of East Los Angeles.
People were initially upset according to Yahoo! Sports, but the high-speed chase between police and the driver of the stolen truck turned out to be the most entertaining thing on TV Tuesday night.
ARE YOU ACTUALLY INTERRUPTING THE OLYMPICS FOR A CAR CHASE, @NBCLA?!?!
— Sean Mandell (@SeanMandell) February 21, 2018
You know you live in L.A. when they stop showing the Olympics so they can run a car chase. #Olympics #LosAngeles
— Lora Somoza (@LoraSomoza) February 21, 2018
The chase took a turn for the dramatic when the pickup truck t-boned a taxi. People watching joked that the driver was acting like he was in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto, as he drove erratically through the streets and on the sidewalks.
One of the wildest endings to an LA police chase we've ever seen ... suspect with at least 4 GTA stars t-bones taxi then goes into the train tunnel and disappears with the ninja turtles. pic.twitter.com/jjCz5QlAAw
— 🚁Sky Wob🚁 (@World_Wide_Wob) February 21, 2018
After hitting the taxi, the driver upped the ante and started driving on light rail tracks before disappearing into an underground tunnel.
And after that collision, he keeps going. Light rail tracks pic.twitter.com/d68stBEy1a
— Marc Brown (@abc7marc) February 21, 2018
Nightly LA car chase tv reach a new level. Guy drives stolen pickup down tunnel on train tracks underground after driving on sidewalk, then t-boning a taxi.
— Carl Artopoeus (@carl_artopoeus) February 21, 2018
After he drove into the tunnel, one train headed into the tunnel, while another one was coming out.
A train just went INTO the tunnel . And another has just come out. pic.twitter.com/2PAdroCyef
— Marc Brown (@abc7marc) February 21, 2018
Police said the driver, along with an unidentified female, were both recorded by security cameras leaving the truck behind as they fled on foot through the active train tunnel.
Police said they managed to arrest the driver, but were still looking for the female, and sent canine units into the tunnel to search for her.
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