A Car Wash Does Not Provide A Clean Getaway From Police

A police chase in Colorado ended abruptly when the alleged perpetrators tried to escape by taking a detour through a car wash. Police boxed in the vehicle on the other side and arrested the four men inside after a brief foot pursuit.

According to the Aurora Police Department, officers spotted a white Chevy Silverado 1500 that matched the description of a vehicle used in a recent burglary. In the body cam footage, the officer tells dispatch that the license plate was stolen from a different white Silverado. The officer also says that evidence from the burglary is visible inside the truck. Officers then coordinated to attempt a traffic stop.

The truck took off, leading to a brief chase. Fortunately, rather than driving off a cliff, the suspects drove through a car wash in Denver to evade police. The wash was already occupied, and the suspects rammed the car out of the way. This gave police time to surround the truck, box it in, and bring the chase to an end.

Crime doesn’t pay, and police chases are bad. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the choices these suspects made that led to them getting caught.

Swapping license plates to dodge tolls and commit crimes is pretty common. It’s also a great way to get pulled over before the heist even begins, since a routine license plate scan will find a plate that doesn’t match the vehicle, leading to unwanted attention. Allegedly swiping a plate from an identical vehicle to the getaway car, even down to the color, is admittedly a pretty clever move.

However, leaving stolen merchandise in plain view in the back of a pickup is an even better way to get spotted than a stolen license plate. Police can’t search a vehicle without cause, but anything left in plain sight is fair game, including an open truck bed. This gives police the probable cause they need to initiate a traffic stop.

Then there’s attempting to escape through a car wash. This pinch point enabled police to surround the truck and end the pursuit quickly, which is good for the public, at least. Also, a car wash doesn’t work like a paint shop in “Grand Theft Auto.” A quick spray doesn’t suddenly remove your wanted level and make the police not realize you’re there. Sorry, but life is not a video game.

h/t Road & Track