Tip: Don't steal a car with no brake fluid and get in a high speed chase

[Wonk]

(snip)

"He stole a car that wasn't even ready to be out on the road," Thomas said.

Lack of brake fluid became a serious problem for the suspect after Officer Jason Ferriss, who was operating a radar device in the 2500 block of Pacific Way, saw the Corvette approaching at what the radar showed as 78 mph. The posted speed is 35 mph.

In his report, Ferriss said he activated his lights, saw the vehicle speed up, then turned on his siren and began pursuit. He said his speedometer reached 120 mph but the Corvette was pulling away at an estimated 140 mph when it missed a corner in the 3100 block of Pacific Way.

"There was no stopping at that high of speed," said Nelson, who can't believe Repp wasn't killed. "It's always those people who never get hurt."

"The car flew 20 feet in the air and hit a tree branch. It took a quarter-mile stretch for him to slow down," said Thomas, who went to the scene and took photos of skid marks, ripped-out shrubbery in numerous yards, and the car's muffler dangling from a tree in the 3200 block.

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