Phony 911 call didn't divert cops from fugitive

A passenger in a car that was being chased by sheriff's deputies in King County, Washington tried a novel approach in an attempt to get the cops off their tail. She called 911 to report a bogus robbery at a nearby convenience store, thinking it would divert the cops.

It didn't work. The driver and his passenger were eventually caught and booked into the King County Jail.

The incident occurred on Monday morning when a sheriff's deputy pulled over a pickup truck for a possible DUI violation. As the deputy walked up to the pickup it took off. The deputy chased it for more than eight minutes, reaching speeds of 70 mph.

During the chase, the passenger used her cellphone to report an armed robbery at the Circle K. The call dispatcher was not fooled, and the chase continued.

As the driver of the truck turned, he lost control of the truck and hit a power pole. The driver and passenger suffered minor injuries and were taken into custody.

The driver was booked for investigation of felony flight. Once at the jail he was identified from his fingerprints as a state Department of Corrections escapee and booked on that warrant as well. The woman was booked on charges of false reporting and rendering criminal assistance. (info from The Seattle Times)