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NEED TO KNOW
- A driver attempting to flee police in Seattle jumped the open University Bridge on Wednesday, Sept. 17
- CCTV footage shows the stolen vehicle crashing through a guard barrier, then leaping a gap over Portage Bay
- The vehicle was later found abandoned with damage to its undercarriage
A driver attempting to flee police in Seattle earlier this week made a dramatic movie-style getaway in a stolen vehicle, police have said.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17 at around 12:20 p.m. local time, Seattle Police Department came across a stolen Audi Q5 near 10th Avenue East and Roanoke Street and began pursuing the vehicle, Detective Brian Pritchard said, according to The Seattle Times.
Traffic camera video from the Seattle Department of Transportation showed the car driving on the wrong side of the road on the University Bridge in an attempt to avoid stopped vehicles, per a clip shared by Fox 13 Seattle.
The driver continued through the guard barrier and jumped the drawbridge gap in the bridge as it was still closing, as shown in the footage that was also shared by King 5 Seattle.
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Multiple patrol cars chasing the vehicle then stopped ahead of the broken barrier, before officers could be seen getting out of their cars to assess the situation.
At the time of the incident, the double-leaf bascule bridge spans were almost but not entirely lowered over Portage Bay, according to The Seattle Times.
Police weren’t going to attempt such a jump, Detective Pritchard said, per the outlet.
“It’s not the movies,” he insisted, adding, “We’d never do anything like that.”
The officer confirmed the stolen vehicle was later found abandoned near Pasadena Place Northeast and Northeast 42nd Street in the University District, The Seattle Times reported. It had sustained damage to its undercarriage, the outlet added.
The suspect also managed to evade police, despite authorities calling in a police helicopter on Wednesday afternoon, the newspaper added.
The Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Police Department didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.