Atlanta police released daring video of officers rescuing a suspect from an oncoming train after he stole a police cruiser during a traffic stop, led police on a high-speed chase and overturned on railroad tracks.
The theft of the police car happened just after 2 a.m. Saturday while the officer was conducting a traffic stop, the Atlanta Police Department said.
As the officer spoke with the driver of the vehicle, the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Mickal Parker, jumped behind the wheel of the police car and sped away, according to authorities. Parker was not involved in the initial traffic stop.
The officer immediately alerted dispatch and a helicopter deployed from the air spotted the stolen vehicle.
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The speeding suspect eventually drove onto train tracks off McDonough Boulevard, where the vehicle flipped over.
While the vehicle had come to a rest, police now had to race against an oncoming train that was heading straight for the vehicle.
"They just immediately went into rescue mode where they got to get this guy out of the car and away from that train," Atlanta Sgt. John Chaffee told FOX5 Atlanta.
Police released aerial and bodycam video of officers working with the Georgia State Patrol to pull the suspect from the vehicle just seconds before the train struck the patrol car.
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Atlanta police praised the officers involved for saving the suspect’s life and said that the incident shows that "no traffic stop is routine."
"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," the department said.
Parker was charged with theft by taking, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, obstruction, and damage to city property. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail.
