A Washington state man who led police on a high-speed chase on Sunday may have not actually been driving ― officers said they found the suspect’s pet pit bull behind the wheel after his 1996 Buick crashed, Seattle TV station KOMO reported.
The unidentified 51-year-old male suspect, from Lakewood, Washington, is now facing several charges including DUI, reckless driving, hit-and-run and felony eluding, authorities said. The man allegedly struck two vehicles before he fled on Interstate 5.
One trooper reported seeing the pit bull in the driver’s seat with the owner handling the steering wheel from the passenger seat. The car reportedly hit speeds of 109 mph during the chase, and at one point drove on a popular trail for pedestrians and cyclists (it was fortunately empty).
State troopers eventually ended their pursuit by throwing down spike strips, but then came the shocker.
Washington State Patrol officer Heather Axtman said the driver told police that he was “trying to teach his dog how to drive,” according to CNN.
Axtman added: “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.”
The officer said the pit bull ― whom she described as a “very sweet girl” ― was taken to a local animal shelter.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first public appearance alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2018, but a Royal author has claimed it was marred by an awkward moment
For the Love of Dogs viewers were left infuriated as they pointed out a 'bad habit' of presenter Alison Hammond's during the latest episode of the ITV show, which has seen ratings plummet.
Callum Laing, 40, was diagnosed with a stage 4 Glioblastoma brain tumour, after he had been suffering from intense headaches - but surgeons in Edinburgh have made a surprising discovery.
David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst will forever be remembered for their roles as Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, but the pair's relationship off-screen has been far from perfect.
Footage taken by a Brazilian tourist shows several pedestrians stepping to soothe the black horse which caused damage after running through the London streets on Wednesday.
Maxine Longmuir, 69, was thrilled when she won a £2,500 holiday to Portugal on the ITV quiz show, but claims she was left devastated when she was told she was unable to rebook it