Bodycam footage shared by the City of Kalamazoo and uploaded online by MLive shows the moment a fleeing suspect runs from his motorcycle and wades into the freezing waters of the Kalamazoo River in what is officially the dumbest crime we’ve seen so far this year. We’re sure we’ll see even dumber as 2024 progresses, but jumping into a river in the winter to get away from police is pretty foolish.
Hotshot motorcyclist gets humiliated by a cop.
You might think a desperate, albeit stupid, escape attempt like this was after the guy committed a horrific crime like holding up a bank or making another Star Wars movie. Instead, police reportedly tried pulling over the motorcycle for a license plate violation on New Year’s Day.
As one officer who tried coaxing the suspect out of the water said in the video, which we’ve shared, the guy likely was going hypothermic while submerged in the frigid water. When that happens, your muscles cramp, making swimming next to impossible.
In this case, the suspect went under the water’s surface and didn’t re-emerge. Some might think the guy was able to swim underwater and resurface out of the view of police, making the perfect getaway, but the more likely explanation is that he drowned. Officers even entered the river themselves in an attempt to find and rescue him, but they came up just cold and emptyhanded.
Losing your life over an expired vehicle registration is just plain ridiculous. But we doubt this guy was fleeing just because of that. While his identity hasn’t been released and no body has reportedly been recovered, we’d be willing to bet he had warrants. It’s even possible he was a fugitive.
In the meantime, Kalamazoo police are asking for anyone who has information about this suspect would contact them.
Image via YouTube
