Police release dramatic video shot inside of stolen bait car
BELLEVUE - Bellevue Police just released dramatic video from inside a bait car.
That's a car rigged with monitoring equipment that tells police when it's been stolen.
There's a video camera inside too. And on March 14th, it showed Jason Collins trying to steal the stereo.
When it wouldn't budge, he took the whole car.
The tape shows him driving erratically, apparently rummaging through the glove box while he speeds away. And as police point out, he seems proud of himself.
"A little preemptive celebration, a premature celebration," Officer Greg Grannis says as Collins is seen pumping his fist and smiling into the rear view mirror.
But while Collins celebrates, a monitoring company is telling dispatch the bait car is on the move.
And officers are getting on Collins' tail.
Through the car's sunroof we see trees are zipping by quickly. Collins looks to be speeding down a 25 mile an hour road.
Police say he nearly hit a bicyclist.
He has a close call with a truck too, and even stops, backs up and leans out the window. Police says that's Collins yelling at the truck driver.
Then he gets going again only to find he's on a dead end road.
He starts to turn.
"At this point the motor officers are already off the freeway and coming down that same road towards him," Grannis describes.
One officer bails off his motorcycle to keep from getting hit.
Another swerves into a ditch.
The third opens fire.
One shot grazes Collins' head and bounces into the windshield.
Video shows him frantic, crying and soon, stuck.
Police control when the bait car stops working.
"It's been disabled at this point and he's just found that he's locked in and right there the officers are at the window with guns pointed at him," Grannis says.
Collins is now the poster boy for car thieves - caught by bait cars.
"We are looking for them, actively hunting them and they should know that any car they steal could be a bait car that we're all over," Grannis says.
It's a lesson Jason Collins learned the hard way.
He's about to go to jail for it.
He pleaded guilty and prosecutors are asking for seven years in prison.
Collins will be sentenced Nov. 2.
That's a car rigged with monitoring equipment that tells police when it's been stolen.
There's a video camera inside too. And on March 14th, it showed Jason Collins trying to steal the stereo.
When it wouldn't budge, he took the whole car.
The tape shows him driving erratically, apparently rummaging through the glove box while he speeds away. And as police point out, he seems proud of himself.
"A little preemptive celebration, a premature celebration," Officer Greg Grannis says as Collins is seen pumping his fist and smiling into the rear view mirror.
But while Collins celebrates, a monitoring company is telling dispatch the bait car is on the move.
And officers are getting on Collins' tail.
Through the car's sunroof we see trees are zipping by quickly. Collins looks to be speeding down a 25 mile an hour road.
Police say he nearly hit a bicyclist.
He has a close call with a truck too, and even stops, backs up and leans out the window. Police says that's Collins yelling at the truck driver.
Then he gets going again only to find he's on a dead end road.
He starts to turn.
"At this point the motor officers are already off the freeway and coming down that same road towards him," Grannis describes.
One officer bails off his motorcycle to keep from getting hit.
Another swerves into a ditch.
The third opens fire.
One shot grazes Collins' head and bounces into the windshield.
Video shows him frantic, crying and soon, stuck.
Police control when the bait car stops working.
"It's been disabled at this point and he's just found that he's locked in and right there the officers are at the window with guns pointed at him," Grannis says.
Collins is now the poster boy for car thieves - caught by bait cars.
"We are looking for them, actively hunting them and they should know that any car they steal could be a bait car that we're all over," Grannis says.
It's a lesson Jason Collins learned the hard way.
He's about to go to jail for it.
He pleaded guilty and prosecutors are asking for seven years in prison.
Collins will be sentenced Nov. 2.