Suspects toss thousands out windows during rush-hour pursuit
SAN DIEGO – Police officers picked up more than $17,000 that was tossed by fleeing suspects during a chase Thursday that slowed rush-hour traffic to a crawl and prompted some motorists to stop their vehicles on the freeway to pick up cash.
The chase began about 5 p.m. on state Route 15 near Interstate 805. The fleeing driver of a pickup truck exited SR-15 at Ocean View Boulevard, then re-entered the freeway southbound. The driver headed south to National City, then turned north onto I-805.
Suspects were flinging cash out the windows of the pickup as the pursuit continued north on I-805, police said. Officers said bills were thrown out the windows along the freeway at El Cajon Boulevard, Murray Ridge Road, Miramar Road and La Jolla Village Drive.
The pursuit ended on I-805 near Interstate 5 when officers arrested the suspects at gunpoint, bringing traffic to a halt.
It was not immediately disclosed what the suspects were wanted for or where they got the money. They reportedly were armed.
More than an hour after the chase began, officers were still collecting the scattered money. They said $17,200 had been picked up, mostly in $20 and $100 bills.
Police said a 16-year-old boy who had picked up $570 later turned in the money at the department’s northeastern division station.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/mar/19/bn19chase-loose-money/?zIndex=69840
Thank you