A California Highway Patrol officer clocked a Ford Mustang Convertible doing 120 mph on a freeway near Redwood City, passing cars on the shoulder like they were standing still. When the officer tried to pull him over, the driver did what a certain subset of Mustang owners always seems to do — made things dramatically worse.
According to CHP’s Redwood City division, the driver fled the traffic stop, exited the freeway, and hit city streets trying to shake the pursuit. Officers broke off the chase, deeming it too dangerous to continue. A reasonable decision. A gift, really.
The Mustang driver didn’t take the hint.
Police say he got right back on the freeway and immediately resumed driving at triple-digit speeds. Whatever appointment he was rushing toward, he clearly believed it was worth risking his life, his freedom, and everyone else’s safety to keep.
His luck expired on a freeway off-ramp. Authorities say the driver lost control exiting the highway and slammed into a Mercedes-Benz E-Class with enough force to push both vehicles onto an active railroad track. The Mercedes occupant escaped with minor injuries — a small miracle given the violence of the impact.
His explanation for the 120-mph speeds, the evasion, and the wreck? He told authorities he was running late for work.
There’s a lot to unpack in that excuse, none of it flattering. The man had already been given a free pass when officers terminated the pursuit. Most drivers would pull over, collect themselves, and accept whatever speeding ticket was coming.
This one doubled down. He got back on the freeway and floored it again, apparently convinced that tardiness was a bigger problem than a felony evasion charge.
The Mustang-crashes-into-crowd meme has been running for years now, fueled by a steady stream of cars-and-coffee disasters and sideshow wipeouts. This one doesn’t fit that exact template — no crowd, no burnout — but it shares the same DNA. A driver whose confidence wildly exceeded his skill, piloting a rear-wheel-drive car with more power than judgment behind the wheel.
CHP reported the driver was arrested and booked. The charges weren’t detailed in the department’s Facebook post, but fleeing a traffic stop at 120 mph on a California freeway, then causing a multi-vehicle crash that landed on railroad tracks, doesn’t typically end with a citation and a handshake.
The Mercedes driver, meanwhile, was just somebody going about their morning. Maybe heading to the same kind of job the Mustang driver claimed to be late for. They ended up shoved onto train tracks by a stranger who couldn’t be bothered to set an earlier alarm.
Caltrain runs through the Redwood City corridor. Active tracks mean active trains. The fact that no locomotive was bearing down on those wrecked cars at that moment is the kind of luck that should make everyone involved reconsider their life choices.
The driver made it to a destination, just not the one on his schedule. He ended up at a booking desk instead of a time clock. Whatever job he was racing toward, he can probably stop worrying about being late for it.
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