Photo: wvlt.tv / Wanda Humphries Goff / Facebook / Knox County Sheriff's Office
You know you’re desperate to get somewhere when your car is on fire and you’re still driving it hanging out the window, to avoid the flames consuming you.
In this particular case, Travis Zimmerman was desperate to get anywhere but where the cops were. It happened at the weekend, after said gentleman robbed a Dollar General store in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then did what every respectable robber would do: tried his best to flee the police.
CBS affiliate WVLT8 reports that the police chase started right after Zimmerman robbed the store. It doesn’t say what car he drove but it mentions it reaching speeds of 80 mph while weaving in and out of traffic.
All in all, it sounds like Zimmerman stood good chances of getting away. And then, bad luck happened. “Police said when Zimmerman went across railroad tracks, his vehicle took flight. When it hit the ground, the undercarriage caught fire causing the cabin to fill with smoke,” the report notes.
Even though the car was on fire, Zimmerman kept going: as the flames spread to the car, he put his head out the window and was able to drive this way for half a mile or so. Who knows how far he could have gone, had not bad luck struck once more.
“[He] hit a curb and went into a ditch. Zimmerman reportedly tried to flee but fell on his back. Officers said he complied with orders after a K-9 approached him,” the report says.
Ever the resilient outlaw, Zimmerman put up a fight despite his initial intention to go quietly. As the officer was cuffing him, he kicked and fought him, and had to be punched in the head to be subdued. He was eventually taken into custody, and the officer was treated for minor injuries.
Zimmerman is now facing charges of assault, evading arrest, driving without a license, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, among others. The car burned to the ground.
CBS affiliate WVLT8 reports that the police chase started right after Zimmerman robbed the store. It doesn’t say what car he drove but it mentions it reaching speeds of 80 mph while weaving in and out of traffic.
All in all, it sounds like Zimmerman stood good chances of getting away. And then, bad luck happened. “Police said when Zimmerman went across railroad tracks, his vehicle took flight. When it hit the ground, the undercarriage caught fire causing the cabin to fill with smoke,” the report notes.
Even though the car was on fire, Zimmerman kept going: as the flames spread to the car, he put his head out the window and was able to drive this way for half a mile or so. Who knows how far he could have gone, had not bad luck struck once more.
“[He] hit a curb and went into a ditch. Zimmerman reportedly tried to flee but fell on his back. Officers said he complied with orders after a K-9 approached him,” the report says.
Ever the resilient outlaw, Zimmerman put up a fight despite his initial intention to go quietly. As the officer was cuffing him, he kicked and fought him, and had to be punched in the head to be subdued. He was eventually taken into custody, and the officer was treated for minor injuries.
Zimmerman is now facing charges of assault, evading arrest, driving without a license, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, among others. The car burned to the ground.
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