Darwin says, "Accepted into the Archive."

Anthony Nickerson, age 20, thought he could outsmart the police, something that often proves harmful to the perp. Nickerson and two friends were stopped for speeding near Lakeview, Oregon on March 25, 2007. When the vehicle they were driving checked out as stolen in Idaho, the sheriff's deputy called for assistance, and the police placed the suspects in separate patrol cars. While the officers had their backs turned, Nickerson had his first great idea. He managed to get his hadcuffed hands from behind to in front of his body. His second great idea was to see if he could wiggle through the small window between the back and front seat of the patrol car. Succeeding at that his third great idea was to drive off in the patrol car, never mind that there were several deputies from two counties and State Patrol officers present. Nickerson's next great idea was to try to elude the immediate pursuit. He did this by driving 90 mph, passing cars in his lane and forcing cars off the road in the other lane. Managing barely to not kill himself yet or anyone else, and rapidly approaching the city of Lakeview, he encountered several spike strips placed in his way by the police. In spite of his best efforts he didn't manage to avoid them all, and got a flat tire. But in his mind, he apparently thought he could still outrun the police and control the disabled car. We'll never know what he might have done if he had made it to Lakeview. Following standard procedure, the state patrolman rammed the back quarter panel of Nickerson's stolen vehicle. This is a move designed to get the car to spin and slow down. Unfortunately, due either to Nickerson's erratic driving or to the fact that he had a flat tire, the vehicle spun off the road and rolled. Nickerson's last mistake – he neglected to fasten his seat belt. He was thrown from the car and died of his injuries one week later. One can't help but wonder if he managed to learn anything during that week. We can hope that his friends, who are still in the gene pool did.

Submitted on 04/02/2007

Submitted by: Rick Sonerholm
Reference: THIS REFERENCE DOES NOT CHECK OUT!!!
http://heraldandnews.com/articles/2007/04/02/news/local_news/local3.txt

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
This goes somewhat above and beyond the usual "dumb crook" story, and the flamboyant manner in which he made his exit rises above the all-too-common "killed whole fleeing the law" genre. This guy was so desperate he HAD to be stupid! I'll give this one the nod! Thanks, Rick!

Bruce said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Nice writeup, Rick. Thanks for all the detail. This certianly is a bit above your typical dumb crook!

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
A sure Darwin candidate! Dumb crooks are a dime a dozen but this particular bozo is one in a million. Thanks for the story, Rick.

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