If anyone deserved a lump of coal in their stocking last Christmas, it was this Parisian driver. And the entire world knows it, thanks to an unlikely hero who happened to get the entire thing on camera.
YouTuber Chris Motard needed to get material for a holiday-themed comedic segment, but he didn’t have a sled or fleet of reindeer handy. But his red Kawasaki Z800 sport bike was the next best thing, so he dressed up as Saint Nick and hit the streets of downtown Paris with a GoPro mounted on his helmet.
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He’s cruising along a street near the Louvre, waving at pedestrians and reveling in the attention when he pulls up to a T-intersection. He stops to look both ways, but just as he turns, a loud cry rises up from nearby. He turns just in time to see a car clip a pedestrian in the middle of a crosswalk and send him tumbling to the ground.
The Renault’s windshield cracks, so the driver obviously knows she just hit someone. But instead of stopping to render aid, she speeds off in a classic hit-and-run!
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As passersby rush to the victim’s aid, Chris and another Good Samaritan in a passing car take off in hot pursuit, presumably to make a citizen’s arrest.
But it looks like maybe this driver has a conscience after all, because they pull over a few seconds later, and the car is suddenly boxed in by both Chris and the unnamed Good Samaritan. But just as Chris dismounts his bike, she hits the accelerator, dodging both the motorcycle and car and tries to disappear into the tangle of traffic ahead.
Chris jumps back on his bike and quickly catches up, and the next two minutes of this high-speed chase takes them through red lights, bumping along a cobblestone street, speeding toward oncoming traffic and through some impossibly tight squeezes.
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He then begins to recite the license plate, trying to store it in his memory, while the driver dodges around car. And then she makes a fatal mistake: She veers right at a famous Parisian landmark, the historic Madeleine Roman Catholic Church. And there, waiting for the traffic to inch forward, sit two motorcycle cops.
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Reddit
Sir, sir! There’s a car that just hit someone and she’s trying to escape! It’s the, um… it’s the… It’s a Clio!
You’re on pins and needles at this point, because if the cop doesn’t believe him, it’s all over. And that sideways glance? It doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
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The GoPro follows Chris as he points, but suddenly he seems unsure of himself and swivels his head around frantically, trying to spot the offending Clio. But then the spots it and, to these cops’ credit, they take him at his word. Turning on their sirens, they take off after it, and now Chris RS is trying to keep up with them – because, remember, he has all the evidence they need on his GoPro!
This unconscionable driver looks like they are thinking about trying to outrun the police, but finally pulls over about 20 seconds later. The cops pull them out at gunpoint and throw the cuffs on right then and there!
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Who knows how many laws this motorist has broken in the last three minutes, but it had to have felt good for Chris (and the Good Samaritan, who was following along all this time) to see them brought to justice.
This apparently isn’t the first hit-and-run this YouTuber has witnessed, since he started out the caption saying:
Another hit-and-run, i’m always here when there’s some action …Â Like the last time, I owed it to myself to try and stop this person. I had some news from the victim and he is recovering without too much harm…
Don’t try this at home, kids. This was a truly risky pursuit for everyone involved, but fortunately, it had a good outcome. Watch this true-life, adrenaline-fueled action sequence unfold in the clip below and share to thank everyone for playing their part.
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