- Police caught up with a stolen Tesla after it ran out of battery during a chase, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.
- The car belonged to Fox 11 anchor Susan Hirasuna and was stolen from downtown Los Angeles.
- Hirasuna’s Tesla app estimated the car’s battery was down to 15 miles of range when it was taken.
Police caught up with a stolen Tesla after it ran out of battery during a car chase, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.
The Tesla belonged to Fox 11 anchor and reporter Susan Hirasuna, who told the outlet the car disappeared after she parked it near the United Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Hirasuna said she discovered the Tesla had been stolen after she left a nearby concert on Thursday evening.
The stolen car was fortunately low on charge when it was taken, with Hirasuna’s Tesla app estimating that the EV’s battery was down to just 15 miles of range, the report said.
The Los Angeles Police Department had already attempted to stop the car after it was reported for reckless driving before she had even had a chance to file a report.
Despite considering halting the vehicle with a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, where officers try and force a vehicle to turn 180 degrees, causing it to stall and stop, police instead decided to follow it until it ran out of power, the report said.
The suspect was arrested after the car died in East Hollywood. The LAPD is reportedly in the process of reuniting Hirasuna with her Tesla.
Hirasuna said the experience had changed her perspective on how to park her car.
“I’m going to put it in valet mode, which wouldn’t give them access to the trunk. Everything in my car is gone. And it means they couldn’t drive that fast,” she told Fox 11.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was made outside of normal working hours.
Police have previously been on the wrong side of such an incident.
In 2019, a Tesla Model S police cruiser ran low on power during a high-speed pursuit in California after someone seemingly forgot to charge it.
Despite the EV’s battery issues, the Fremont Police Department eventually found the suspect’s vehicle after it crashed into some bushes.
On its website, Tesla advises customers to avoid letting their battery level drop below 20% for long periods. It also notes that leaving its vehicles in cold conditions can affect the available range.
