Basel police officers caught in pursuit of Tesla car
When officials tried to stop a fleeing bicyclist, they were unable to get out of the vehicle. Strange scenes followed.
The door of a Tesla X 100D from the Basel police did not open.
Archive photo: Georgios Kefalas (Keystone)
The Basel police Tesla car had “severe breakdowns”, including the internet platform «First News» reported. The Basel authorities have been using the alarm parcel machine with the model number 100D since 2019, and now the door of a replacement machine has caused problems.
The online platform has an operation log from the cantonal police that shows that the electronically controlled doors were blocked during a chase and could not be opened properly. The alarm vehicle “BS 04” on the call was affected: the officials were chasing a cyclist who fled from a control.
This is in the region Riehnstrasse – Sandgrubenstrasse – Rosentalstrasse. During the operation, the police officers asked the two cyclists to stop, one followed the instruction – the other ran away. Then the officers tried to get out of the Tesla because they wanted to stop the cyclist on foot. “However, this failed because the car door was locked,” Prime News quoted the police report as saying.
Police officers are required to board the vehicle
The chase was extended because the bicyclist continued to run when officers were unable to get out of the vehicle. “The driver then noticed that we could not get out of the vehicle (our doors could no longer be opened even though the vehicle was still standing) and continued to escape in Sandgrubenstrasse,” says the report.
The cyclist took advantage of the technical problems, driving in front of the Tesla and allegedly “dancing on the nose” of the officials. He was disturbed by the strange situation – and once almost lost control of his bike, almost fell.
Finally, they say he even drove towards the police car and crashed into it. “After the collision, it was not possible to open the passenger door,” police officers wrote in their report. The left rear car door could open 60 centimeters, which is why one of the officers “had to climb out of the vehicle under the door in the back”. The cyclist tried to escape on foot, but a police officer caught him in the open passenger window and was overtaken. The cyclist was carrying drugs and the police already knew in Germany.
However, the damaged passenger side still could not be opened, so the concerned officer had to climb out of the window.
Police: “Satisfied with car quality”
“Prime News” confronted the Basel police media office with the incident. The online platform classifies the technical problems with the vehicle as “potentially life-threatening” – for example, if officials are caught in the Tesla during a shooting or a car fire.
A police spokesperson confirmed the incident on the online platform. However, he stated that an “emergency opening” of the doors was also possible while driving using a “special cable pull”. And: “If used correctly, it cannot happen that the door cannot be opened.” All cantonal police personnel traveling with the vehicle should be “properly trained”, the media spokesperson said.
“So far there has not been a case where the team could not leave the vehicle,” the police said. “No reports of inoperative vehicle doors” were received at the police garage. One is always “very satisfied with the quality of this car”.
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