Dashcam caught the moment when the 18-year-old Mustang driver tried and failed to pass on the center median
October 24, 2023 at 12:59
A family of three ended up in the hospital after an 18-year-old, who was fleeing from the police in a Ford Mustang, collided with their SUV. The teenage driver is now facing multiple charges related to the incident. Dashcam footage captured by a nearby motorist recorded the crash and the ensuing chaos.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the suspect, who hails from Healdsburg, was first spotted speeding in Rohnert Park. When officers attempted to stop him for the traffic violation, he evaded them by heading northbound on U.S. Highway 101. It’s alleged that he reached speeds exceeding 100 mph (+160 km/h) during the pursuit.
At a certain point, the CHP made the decision to have ground units disengage from the pursuit and opted to track the 18-year old using a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. Unfortunately, this switch in tactics did not result in the teen driver slowing down. As illustrated in the video below, he attempted to pass an SUV in lane one near Mendocino Avenue and failed miserably.
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The gap between the two vehicles was too narrow, and as a result, he collided with the rear driver’s side corner of the SUV. The Mustang appears to go up in countless pieces while the SUV first hits the left-side barrier before rolling back across traffic and onto the right median. Officers aren’t too far behind as one pops into the frame near the end of the short clip.
According to the police , two adults and a child who were in the SUV all sustained injuries and were transported to the hospital. It’s worth noting that the CHP alleges that this incident wasn’t the first encounter law enforcement had with the teenager. CBS News confirmed that CHP has chased a Mustang with the “Will Run” license plate in the recent past. Until now, the car had always evaded police.
Notably, there’s no way to be certain that it was the same teen driver in those cases. There’s at least one more Mustang with the “Will Run” license plate that we reported on in September. Regardless, the 18-year old is now facing multiple felony charges associated with the pursuit and crash.