Suspect stops for gas in the middle of high speed car chase with cops – and still gets away

A suspected car thief managed to briefly evade capture after stopping to refuel during a high-speed chase through Los Angeles on Friday — a bizarre scene caught live by a news helicopter.

The pursuit involved a stolen blue Infiniti sedan, which reached speeds of up to 100 mph, according to KABC. In a surprising move, the driver pulled into a Shell gas station in the Wilshire area and began pumping gas in full view of overhead cameras.

Helicopter footage showed the man nervously walking around the vehicle with his shirt pulled over his face, apparently trying to hide his identity. With no police units immediately nearby, the suspect spent over a minute at the pump. A motorcycle rider at a neighboring pump appeared unaware of the dramatic situation unfolding just feet away.

“He couldn’t be acting any more suspicious, I’ll tell you that,” the chopper reporter remarked during the live coverage.

After refueling, the driver calmly replaced the nozzle, got back in the car, and sped away from the station as officers resumed the chase. In a calculated attempt to evade detection, the man drove under an overpass along the 10 Freeway, temporarily disappearing from view of both police and news helicopters.

While concealed, he abandoned the vehicle, which slowly rolled into a light pole. Police arrived shortly after, but the suspect had already fled on foot. The chopper reporter dubbed the maneuver “maybe his smartest move of the night.”

Authorities searched the area, but the man was not found. The California Highway Patrol later said they suspect he may have been picked up by an accomplice.

The investigation remains ongoing.