Washington man teaching his pit bull to drive a car arrested after 100 mph high-speed chase
LAKEWOOD, WASHINGTON: A man from Lakewood, Washington, has been taken into custody after he allegedly tried to teach his dog driving. The man was arrested after a high-speed chase up Interstate 5 by the troopers, who were left dumbfounded after they saw the man's pit bull behind the steering wheel, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Patrol said.
The spokeswoman stated that the officers caught the man after they received calls about a driver hitting two vehicles in an area south of Seattle and then speeding away.
State trooper Heather Axtman told AFP the emergency services got several calls complaining about a car traveling erratically at more than 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour).
Speaking with CNN, Axtman said, “He was driving very erratically. So erratically that multiple people called 911.” She added that the suspected man was driving so recklessly that the pursuit to catch him ensued at 109 miles an hour.
And when a trooper tried to stop the suspect's car, he looked inside and was shocked to find a pit bull sitting in the driver's seat while the man steered, whose identity has not been disclosed.
Axtman also continued that the man drove onto Centennial Trail, a trail for pedestrians and bicyclists in Snohomish County known for being busy, as he tried to get out of the clutch of the state police officers.
"The fact that there wasn't anybody on the trail is nothing shy of miraculous. We are very thankful,” she told the news channel.
However, eventually, troopers arrested him as the suspect reportedly gave them an explanation of his deed. He allegedly said he was "trying to teach his dog how to drive."
“I wish I could make this up. I've been a trooper for almost 12 years and wow, I've never heard this excuse. I've been in a lot of high-speed chases, I've stopped a lot of cars, and never have I gotten an excuse that they were teaching their dog how to drive,” Axtman, who is also a public information officer, said.
The man has been charged with reckless endangerment, hit and run, driving under the influence and felony eluding by the Washington State Patrol. His bond was set at $8,500 and was presented in court on March 30.
Axtman added that the man’s pet, a female pit bull, which was not aggressive towards the arresting officers, had been placed in an animal shelter.
Weirdly, this was not the first time a 'driving' dog has made headlines. In November 2019, residents of a quiet cul-de-sac in Port St. Lucie, Florida were left shocked after they saw a grey sedan going around in circles, seemingly with no driver. However, the catch is there was a driver, but not a human, it was a dog.
According to local reports, the owner of the car had parked his car for a moment leaving his pet inside it when the bizarre thing happened. The black labrador somehow managed to get into the car and started the vehicle into reverse, sending it spinning out of control for almost an hour.
Police were then called to the scene who stopped the vehicle and get the dog out of it before it could cause too much damage. "The dog's owner, police, and firefighters crafted a plan to stop this near hour-long spree. Police say they were finally able to stop this dog's joy ride by punching a passcode into the driver's side door to get inside, but not before the dog first took out this mailbox, a trash can, and some bricks in front of a home,” a reporter for WPTV said.
“But the best news was that the dog wasn't hurt at all, in fact pretty happy after his first, and hopefully last, a solo drive,” the reporter added.