ATLANTA – Stunning video out of Atlanta shows the moment someone stole a police patrol car, drove it away and then crashed it out onto train tracks, the suspect rescued from the crash, just moments before a train collided into the wreckage.
Video cut together by the Atlanta Police Department shows the drama as officers said it unfolded on Saturday around 2:09 a.m.
A police officer was conducting a traffic stop when someone uninvolved with the stop entered the driver’s patrol car and fled.
Video shows the officer’s body camera footage as the suspect drove away, and the video eventually switches to air support which captures the crash and the officer’s efforts to apprehend the suspect on the train tracks. But it all seems to go into fast motion when the camera switches again to another officer’s body camera footage. A whistle is heard in the distance and someone yells “TRAIN!”
Officers pulled the suspect from the vehicle seconds before a train barreled into the patrol vehicle.
The suspect was taken into custody and identified as Mickal Parker. Parker was charged with theft by taking, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, obstruction, and damage to city property and was ultimately transported to Fulton County Jail.
A post from police reads: “This incident is one that truly shows no traffic stop is routine. The officers involved were quickly able to transition from traffic enforcement to stolen vehicle recovery and then transition again to preservation of life. We are proud of the efforts of the units on the ground as well as in the air, as they all worked to safely conclude an incident that could have ended in death or seriously bodily harm.”