From an ordinary traffic stop and a simple speeding ticket that exploded into a high-speed chase and violent crash. >> He took my He took my foot. >> I 10-50 and 50 overturned. Starting a mess. 25 and about route two route two 166 route two 166. I'm going to shut it down. >> Come out of the car with your hands up. Come out of the vehicle with your hands up. >> It's the moment a reckless driver thought he was escaping the law, not knowing that the faster he ran, the closer he was to an unexpected end. >> We are over there. We got Get back to 130. I'm going to be out of here. Never mind. Give me medical one. >> Here are several high-octane moments when police high-speed chases end in tragedies. Starting with Justin McKeyla, who turned an ordinary traffic stop into a full-blown spectacle, taking riding to a shocking new heights in his partner's first car. >> Dude, this guy's on the phone. He's still rolling. He's not putting it in park. It's just a slow roll. All right, he's taking off on me. >> Well, he getting in pursuit of my car. >> Look away if you don't want to be in the photo here. >> On March 22nd, 2023, less than an hour into the new day, Akahai police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle for speeding as well as a broken headlight. The stop was supposed to be regular, but instead it quickly became the calm before a regrettable storm. >> This guy's on the phone. He's still rolling. He's not putting it in park. It's just a slow roll. All right, he's taking off on me. We are at the eastbound Barnard from Sweetwater Road coming in pursuit. Speed's at 45. >> Meanwhile, more officers joined the pursuit because if he had nothing to hide, why was he running? Despite the growing number of units searching for him, he was able to vanish into the darkness of the night. At least for now. >> He either banged off east on Ross and went west through the park. >> All right, looks like we may have lost sight of her. Still on Chicago or crossing Ross and >> He either banged off east on Ross and went west through the park. >> You lost him around that curve there, right? >> 10-3. Um yeah, at least five blocks. I don't know if five blocks will do it, but three blocks away. >> Soon, officers tracked the vehicle's registered owner to an Airbnb where she was staying, hoping to figure out who had been driving the car and why. >> Well, where is my car located at? You guys [music] were just literally on a chase with my boyfriend and he called me saying the police is behind him. I'm like, "Just pull over." >> What's his name? >> Justy. >> Justin? >> [music] >> What's his last name? >> Um Aquila. He was in a Mazda a It's a um >> Mazda what? >> 2000 Protege. It's >> What color? >> Uh like a dark blue. >> Do you know your license plate at all? >> Um yes, I have it in my phone. I literally >> more officers there? >> Yes. Um I'm sorry, I can't hang up. >> Why don't you hang up with her cuz she has other calls coming in, okay? >> Yes. >> Thank [music] you. >> Sorry. >> Did he tell you where he was at? >> He told me he was four minutes away. I heard polices and I heard my car and I heard it coming from that way and I'm just telling him to pull over. >> Did he Did he you where he was, though? >> No, he just told me I'm 4 minutes from here. I'm 4 minutes from here. >> Dispatch, does we have contact with the registered owner? >> Yep, that's the plate that we have, too. So, unfortunately, we don't have your boyfriend or the vehicle right now. Um the best thing he can possibly do is, you know, come and talk to us. >> I just want my car. >> Okay. >> I just want my car. It's my first car. I was like, "Careful here." I just want my car. >> All right. Do you have your Do you have your your your boyfriend's like Does he Does he have a iPhone at all? Are you both tracking his phone? >> No, I have a um I have his phone number, but it's just going straight to voicemail, straight to voicemail, straight to voicemail. Well, why he getting a pursuit with my car? It's my first car. He called me and he's like, "I'm 4 minutes. The police behind me." I'm like, "Just pull over. Like, just pull over. I don't want my car to get totaled." Then, he's like, "The phone finna die." The phone I've been trying to call >> So, he was he was on the phone with you when I initially stopped him. >> Yes. >> Okay, cuz I could see him on speakerphone. >> Oh, so you stopped him? >> Mhm. >> Oh, okay. Yes, he was on the phone with me. And I'm like, "Just pull over. Like, just pull over. You're going to make it worse than than what it is. Just pull over." Phone went dead. I really just want my car. It's my first car. It's the only thing I really have right now. My son, like >> All right, but we we can't really do anything for you with the car right now. You gave him permission to use it. >> Yes. >> And then, he decided to take off. So, I guess in the future, [music] you probably doesn't use your car right now. >> No. No. >> But >> I'm sorry, sir. I I'm at the point where if y'all take care of that, that's okay. I just want my car. >> No, I I get that. >> don't do that type of stuff in somebody's car. Like, you don't run from the police in nobody's car. This is my car. I paid my money for that car. You don't do that. I don't got nothing on my name, nothing. Like, nothing. >> Okay, I understand that. But like I said, I just don't want it to escalate [music] anything where anybody would get hurt or >> [snorts] >> Yes, sir. >> The reason for his desperate attempt to outrun [music] police was still a mystery. This prompted the officer to ask curveball questions with hope for worthwhile answers that would shape their next course of action. >> Did he tell you why he why he wasn't going to stop for me? >> No, I just said just pull over. I know he got some other stuff going on with his name, but I'm like it's might not be that deep. Like just pull over. Well, really I just really care about my car. Like I don't need you to total my car trying to run from police. Pull over. He he the phone went dead. He like I heard like over this way. So I went around like let me see if I can find find the police his car, but it was too everywhere. I don't know where I really at. So I didn't want to go too far from the Airbnb cuz my baby is in there sleep. >> Yeah. Is there a reason why he wouldn't stop for me? >> He got some stuff like I think he got like some stuff on his name or something. >> Some warrants? >> Some warrants. So maybe that's why he didn't want to stop, but I told him you could just stop. I know when we got pulled over not too long ago the police was okay. Like they they let him off. Like maybe if you just talk to him or something. I don't think you the warrant is that big. Maybe go in for a couple months type of warrant. But it's like okay. That's okay. Like >> Okay. All right. I I appreciate you being really cooperative with us. This goes a long way. All right. And I will do everything in my power to to to you know get your car back to you, okay? >> Detectives eventually identified the driver as 23-year-old Justin McKella. A few minutes later they learned the vehicles had been located. Justin had trusted the night to hide him, but he had no idea that darkness isn't an ally. It often has [music] a way of consuming those who lean on it. >> Look away if you don't want to be in the photo here. >> That's that's uh Is that >> Can you do me a favor and send a photo of the driver? Just let me know when it's done. >> 10-4. >> Thank you so much. >> You're welcome. I appreciate it. >> Eventually, Makayla met an easily avoidable end during the crash. Justin was unhinged, but at least he ran from the law, unlike his zap it Alvarado, who turned a traffic stop into a drag race, then into a wrestling match that nearly cost him his life. On July the 27th, 2024, at around 7:43 p.m., Trooper Duncan tried to pull over Zap it Alvarado on I-49 southbound after he passed her marked patrol unit at 114 mph in heavy traffic [music] near the 83-mile marker. What began as a routine traffic stop quickly escalated into a high-speed chase. Still, the real drama didn't start until the officer made contact with the driver. >> [snorts] [groaning] >> Get out of the car. Get out of the Get out of the Get out OF THE CAR. ROLL OVER RIGHT NOW. ROLL OVER. ROLL OVER I'm going to pull the trigger. Roll over. >> [screaming] >> Roll over. Roll over on your stomach. Now, roll over. Roll over. Roll over ON YOUR STOMACH. ROLL OVER. ON YOUR STOMACH. ROLL OVER. NOW. Roll over. Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back. Roll over. [screaming] ROLL OVER. >> WHAT THE [ __ ] >> [groaning] [screaming] >> WHAT? WHAT? >> [screaming] >> WHAT THE [ __ ] WHAT? WHAT THE [ __ ] WHY YOU WHY YOU WHY YOU WHY YOU WHY? WHY? WHY? WHAT YOU DOING? WHY? WHAT YOU DOING WHAT YOU DOING? What the [ __ ] >> The troopers seemed to have things under control, but the situation then exploded far beyond what they could contain. With a blood alcohol level reportedly twice the legal limit, Zappit Alvarado resisted arrest, and [music] his next moves quickly showed how some people are the architects of their own woes. >> No no NO NO NO. WHY? WHAT YOU DOING? What you doing? I need to go to THE WHY? WHY WHY WHY? >> [groaning] >> WHY? WHY? WHAT YOU DOING? WHAT YOU DOING? I need to go to What you doing? Why? I need to take a leak. Why? I need to take a leak. I need to take a leak. Why? >> Give me that taser now. >> No no. Because I need to take a leak right now. Why? >> Stop moving, man. Get on your back. Get on YOUR BACK. PULL OVER. Give me your hands. Check the seat. Hey. Shut your ass. I got the plate. Search the car. >> In the end, Zapata Alvarado was taken to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, treated and released to law enforcement. His toxicology results showed a blood alcohol level of .16 and the presence of cannabinoids. He was booked into the Benton County Sheriff's Office Detention Center and then placed on hold for Homeland Security Investigation. Trooper Duncan was treated for non-life-threatening injuries sustained during Zapata Alvarado almost got more than he bargained for. The same couldn't be said for the next driver, who turned a speeding ticket into a one-way trip to his maker. >> Lane change erratic. 5 10-50 10-50 over turn starting a mess. >> Come out of the car with your hands up. >> On September the 18th, 2023, a Georgia State Patrol Trooper was clocking traffic on Interstate 75 near I-285 when a silver Ford Focus started moving like it had something to prove. The Trooper flipped on the blue lights expecting compliance. Rather, the driver lost control and fled like a getaway car from a robbery. In a heartbeat, a regular stop transformed into a chase that was heading nowhere good. >> 10-4, copy. I think I'm going to take the >> He was sprinting from cuffs and paperwork, not realizing that some endings don't come with a court date. Sometimes the law is the softer landing. >> He took my brain. He took my brain. All right, 10-50, 10-50 overturned. Starting your 10-50 over turn EMS place. There you go 10-50. 75 Northbound ramp to uh ramp to 166. Ramp to 166. I'm going to shut it down. There ramp to 166 Come out of the car with your hands up. Come out of the vehicle with your hands up. Hold on. I got the vehicle at gunpoint. I'm not going to coach you right now. Yep, we're clear. Vehicle vehicle at gunpoint. Anybody's coming is going to be 75 Northbound ramp to 166. Yep. 505 76 >> All y'all come that way so traffic can get through. Come right here. >> 11-4, what's that? >> All right. >> This guy got to make gun point. I don't really want to approach the vehicle. I'm not sure if they got a a weapon or not, but over turned still same set. >> All right, don't go don't go up. >> 11-4, I'm coming to you. >> Hey look, y'all take this way. Proceed with caution. Just go that way and proceed with caution. Get out the shoulder. Uh, that's blood, bro. That ain't looking good. Let me put my foot down. I'm going to come around. Yeah, uh Yeah, he's probably going to be uh he's probably going to be uh that's going to probably going to be a fatal. That's blood. I can't see anything, no. Fatal, simple. All right. >> K9 K9 for next door. >> 584 Atlanta. Looks like it's going to be a 10-50 F. Go ahead and start super violent police. >> In the end, what started as reckless driving ended as irreversible silence. Next up is a suburban driver who drove to drive no more, leaving behind a scene that was so disturbing that even seasoned officers felt the chill. On May the 31st, 2022, an officer's radar caught a car speeding at nearly 100 mph. What should have been a routine [music] traffic stop unraveled into a high-speed chase within seconds. The driver wasn't just running from a ticket, he was running from consequences. >> [music] >> With every mile, he wasn't escaping fate, he was getting closer to something much worse. >> Fresh 13 30. 10-4 crash 13 90. Do you guys know if it's going to be over there if we got head back to 1st 13 and I should be available. Ambulance. Give medical on Do you guys already know what the injuries are? Negative. Negative. On fire. Yeah. We have vehicle damage. We have fire and blockage of traffic at 13th. Nothing. Keys found. >> After a short while, more officers arrived on the scene, hoping to undo the irreversible or maybe just rescue whatever fragments of the situation was still salvageable. >> Yeah. Not good. One occupant. 413, where are we? >> We're at 10th. >> Okay. >> [ __ ] >> You got a fire extinguisher? >> [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ] >> Did you get all of it? >> As a result, the sirens went quiet and so did he. The next case takes us to Macon County where officers found themselves in pursuit of a hijacked police vehicle driven by Oscar, the very definition of an unhinged man. >> He just stole a squad car. He just stole a squad. >> [screaming] >> On May the 3rd, 2025, Macon County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a 911 call at the PV Quick Stop in Macon where 38-year-old Oscar McCurry of Macon was waving a machete at gas station patrons. What began as a dangerous display quickly escalated, spiraling from a machete threat to an even more reckless and unnecessary stunt. >> [snorts] >> You got lots of ways out, brother. THIS AIN'T THE END, MAN. LET'S JUST come on now. We're in this thing together. Come on now. He just stole a squad car. He just stole a squad. He's northbound on 51 in the southbound lanes in that marked squad unit. >> [cheering] >> For Oscar Macias, the twisted cat-and-mouse game was unfolding as he had hoped. He was walking a razor-thin line between a peaceful resolution and all-out [music] confrontation, a truth most unhinged people never realize until it's far too late. >> Damn. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. >> Let's go. Come on. Come on. Let's go. COME ON. COME ON. COME ON, ALFRED. GET UP HERE. COME ON. SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED. Shots fired. Get down on the ground. Get down on the ground. >> All right, HE'S GOT A KNIFE. >> NO, he's still got knives. >> Get on the ground now. >> [screaming] >> On the ground. >> I'M DEAD. I'M DEAD. JIMMY. >> GET DOWN ON THE GROUND. >> GET ON THE GROUND. >> GET ON THE GROUND. GET DOWN ON THE GROUND. >> GET ON THE GROUND. >> JIMMY. >> GET ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW. ON THE GROUND. ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW. >> ON THE GROUND. >> Get on the ground. Get on the ground, bro. >> Right right now. >> Stay Stay Stay in with us, guys. Stay in with us. On the ground right now. >> In the end, McCarry was hospitalized for his injuries, [music] and one officer was treated and released the same day. He remains in Macon County Jail. On May the 30th, 2025, the state's attorney announced no charges [music] for the officers, while charges against McCurry are still pending. McCurry almost lost it all, just like Brenton Zela, whose determination to flee arrest nearly ended in catastrophic finality. >> 512 32, they just lost the trailer. >> We're working on right now to secure it. >> We got a car pushing out, I think it's southbound. >> We're currently watching them. >> On September the 4th, 2024, at around 2:38 a.m., Douglas County Sheriff's deputies responded to a burglary in progress at a salvage yard on Blakeland Drive in Littleton. They quickly set up a perimeter around the suspected break-in, but the situation escalated when 29-year-old Brenton Zela decided that he wasn't sticking around to answer [music] any questions. >> That's how the person pushed down. >> Yeah, I'm good. >> Brenton's immediate plan to use brute force to escape his fate might have seemed bold in the moment. Just like the choices that had brought him there, it was short-sighted. No matter how fast he moved, no one could outrun the long arm of the law for very long. >> Yeah, we're Yeah, we're Yeah, we're good. >> 512 32, exiting W. >> Exiting W through the park. >> 512 32, they just lost the trailer. It is blocking the exit to Bellevue. The truck is now eastbound. 5 David 32, I'm pursuing the truck at speeds of about 70, eastbound Bellevue. Speeds of 83, still riding on the wheel. >> 83 riding on the wheel 39. >> Everyone get your car up here. >> 5 David 32, east of Fairfax, speeds of 70. >> East of Fairfax, speeds of 70. >> 5 David 32, speeds of 70, and they're firing shots, I believe. >> Speeds of 70, firing shots at 309. >> Yeah, 5 David 32, I believe they're firing shots out the window. >> I copy, shots fired at 309. >> 5 David 32, approaching Monaco. >> We got something to connect to. We're working on the highway security. The car pushed out of the south side. We have a clear view of watching this now. >> Eventually, the suspect was charged with attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, motor vehicle theft, reckless endangerment, vehicular assault, resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer, vehicular eluding, second-degree burglary, and criminal mischief.