Apparently, there are no limits to the number of ways you can escape law enforcement. Not long ago, an 88-year-old man tried to justify speeding by claiming to be late for his COVID-19 vaccine appointment—too easy. More recently, in France, a man who was exercising outside during curfew just threw himself into the water to escape a police check, according to France 3. As a result, emergency rescue services were sent out to find him. Although he did manage to sneak away to his house, the man was eventually found at his home late that evening.
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6pm curfew in France
The events took place on Friday, February 26, around 7 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related health constraints, people are only allowed to be outside their homes if absolutely necessary. That was obviously not the case for this 50-year-old, as a witness at the scene explained.
We saw the jogger running on the embankment when a police car drove by in the opposite direction. It suddenly made a sharp U-turn and sped towards the jogger, who was still running. He clearly hadn't realized that the sirens were for him.
This is where the story takes a very interesting turn. According to that same local resident, who was observing the scene from his home:
A policeman tried to catch up to him, but the jogger ran down onto the sand, so the policeman followed him, then the athlete reached the waves, and the policeman stopped chasing as another officer joined him. [Meanwhile,] the jogger got into the water and swam out to sea. A few friends and neighbors were able to see him through binoculars for a while.
'We assumed he was dead'
The water was just 9° at the time and local authorities were concerned for the swimmer's safety. The Fire Department and Rescue Services (SDIS) and Sea Rescue Services (SNSM) were called in to find the athlete, who had apparently gotten more than 200 meters away from the shore. 'We assumed he was dead,' the chief of police said in an interview with Ouest-France.
The search continued until 9.45 pm. In the meantime, the triathlon enthusiast had already made it home. After the police found him, he was fined 135 euros for violating the curfew. He will also be summoned to the police station.
Watch the video above to hear another story of police violating COVID restrictions.
