Drivers find themselves on the wrong end of police chases for all kinds of reasons: maybe they’re bored, or drunk, or living out some kind of weird Grand Theft Auto fantasy. But on Wednesday, two lovebirds in Arizona proved high-tailing it from the cops doesn’t always have to be so sinister—in fact, it can actually be kind of touching.
On Wednesday night, police spotted what they believed was a stolen car driving through Mesa, Arizona. But the driver refused to pull over, instead leading a trail of cop cars and a news chopper on a 30-minute high-speed chase.
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Inside were 35-year-old Dustin Perkins and 29-year-old Lovida Flores, two young lovers on the run like Bonnie and Clyde. According to AZ Central, Perkins later claimed he “borrowed” the allegedly stolen car from his dad—maybe the couple wanted to elope?—and was trying to drive it back to him. But he never got the chance.
After driving the wrong way down busy streets and running a few red lights, the chase soon took the couple off-roading, with members of four police departments and a chopper in tow. Soon the two found themselves driving toward a wall—but because love can sometimes make us do highly regrettable things, Perkins drove straight through the fence and into uncharted territory.
Things really went off the rails at that point. Perkins pulled a few erratic turns to try to shake the massive chunk of fencing off his hood, then sped straight toward a ditch. Call it dumb luck or the divine power of love—but somehow, miraculously, he made it through the treacherous pass.
Perkins’s lucky streak didn’t last much longer. A few seconds later, after careening off a thin road, he plowed the car straight into the bottom of a ditch. Then he and Flores clambered out and took off in opposite directions, running through the vast, desolate desert.
Ostensibly realizing there was no way he was going to shake the cops, Perkins finally gave up. With a gentle wave of his hand, he beckoned Flores toward him, embracing her under the bright, blinding light of the chopper overhead. As a half dozen officers closed in around them, the two kissed, and hugged, and kissed again. Then they got down on the ground spread eagle, letting themselves get cuffed, yanked to their feet, and led into custody.
Perkins broke his hand when he crashed the car, and Flores sustained some injuries as well—a police spokeswoman told AZ Central she was in “serious condition.” According to police, the couple is now facing charges of unlawful flight, reckless driving, and vehicle theft, among other crimes.
Give the whole thing a watch above and marvel at the lengths we’ll go to for love—in this case, turning a dangerous, televised police chase into an epic kiss cam shot for the grandkids.
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