Some people will go to incredible lengths to avoid getting arrested. The most desperate of these lengths? Running from the police. However, some stories are so crazy, they prompt some head-scratching. That’s exactly what happened with one drunk driver who stole a police car to evade his arrest. However, he did so after cops had already arrested him. 

A drunk driver in Long Island stole a police car to get away from his arrest, despite being in handcuffs

Police officers pull over motorists for drunk driving every day. After all, driving under the influence (DUI) is a safety concern for everyone, not just the offender. Consequently, New York police officers placed a Long Island man under arrest after confirming that he was inebriated behind the wheel.

State troopers pulled the 37-year-old motorist at around 5:30 AM due to suspicions of driving under the influence. Police then administered a field sobriety test, which the driver failed. Understandably, the officers arrested the man and put him in the back of a police car. 

However, the drunk driver refused to relent. With his hands no longer behind him, he had greater dexterity. Following his handcuffed maneuver, he stole a police car and fled. According to a statement from state police, the man “managed to slip his handcuffs to the front, freed himself from the seat belt, climbed into the front seat of the patrol vehicle, and drove off from the scene,” per ABC News.

Fortunately for the man, American patrol vehicles tend to have automatic transmissions. As such, it likely wasn’t too difficult for the man to start the vehicle, put it in drive, and hit the road. Well, not counting his state of intoxication, of course.

However, the drunk driver didn’t make it very far in the ill-gotten police vehicle. The authorities caught up with the patrol vehicle around three miles away from the initial arrest. Furthermore, they found the brazen escapee in a nearby cemetery and placed him back in custody.