BIG RIG BURNOUT: Stolen truck erupts in fireball after leading cops on chase
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A big rig burst into flames after the driver of the stolen vehicle gave authorities a low-speed pursuit down a California interstate. Police had to block off several miles of the Interstate 5 motorway to other cars on November 4 even though the motorist was only moving at 15 mph. Although the exact cause of the chase is still unknown, it is known that the large truck had been reported stolen. Around 12.45 pm, on the freeway which was leaving Kern County, the extremely slow-moving pursuit started on the Interstate 5 highway.
Police then closed down Interstate 5 after noticing the large truck heading into Los Angeles. They threw down stingers to take out the tires and stop the truck, which they did many times. The driver scrawled something on a blank piece of paper and put it up to the glass while the truck was being chased by police. The police could identify what he wrote on the piece of paper.
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According to Daily Mail, in order to stop the truck, police attempted to damage the front right tire multiple times without success. The passenger tire eventually tore away and became wedged between the car's undercarriage and the road. When the bare rim made contact with the ground, sparks started to fly. A fire quickly began to spread beneath the large rig's cabin. Aerial footage taken by helicopters show the large rig engulfed in flames and many police cars following it from behind. The truck was now on fire, and the driver was compelled to stop, get out, and turn himself in to authorities.
Around 3.45 pm, the Los Angeles County Fire Department came to put out the fire. The large rig had already been entirely damaged and burned to the ground when the fire was completely put out. The stretch of the Interstate 5 highway between Newhall and Castaic Lake remained closed to traffic as police and fire personnel handled the situation.
A huge traffic jam occured on the highway, with many cars waiting upto 3 hours for the freeway to become clear. Many people could be seen walking their dogs and rollerblading along the roads to pass the time. There was concern that the fire might have melted the asphalt of the roads but the freeway suffered no damages.