Snapshot

Around the time I was seventeen years old and a junior at Pocatello High school in Idaho. I began to get in trouble with the law. Drinking was exciting, fun, rebellious, and new at the time. Plus a lot of other countries don't even have a legal drinking age, was my teenage opinion. I had already successfully obtained an underage alcohol consumption ticket, one of those "in the wrong place at the wrong time" type of things. My Drivers licence had been taken away for three months and I had to pay a big fine. But the only thing that taught me was don't be stupid and don't get caught again.

So on a Saturday night about a month after my first incident with the law, I happened to be consuming alcoholic drinks once again. My friends and I were at a small gathering at a buddy's house close to mine. It was my friend named Colin who had the lovely idea of a "case race" (where 2 people split a case and see who can finish their half first). Colin and myself had a twenty pack of Coors light bottles. Wow what a wonderful game I had thought at the time. 1, 2, 3...10 down the hatch. Colin had beat me but it's kind of a win win game, and we were both basically obliterated. I had rode with my neighbor Justin who was only drinking a couple and was our designated driver for the night. Colin had told his parents he was sleeping at my house so we all hopped in Justin's 1987 Toyota Camry and took off.

"Justin can you pull over for a second," Colin slurred in a drunken tone. "Can you wait till we get home," I asked. "Nope," Colin uttered. As we began to pull over Colin threw the back door open and started to puke. Justin looked at me and we both just started laughing. But the laughter suddenly stopped when we saw a car approaching. "Colin get in the car here comes someone," Justin snapped. "Oh shit it's a cop," I said. It was to late the fuzz rolled past us and saw Colin throwing up outside the car. I quickly spun around to see his break lights light up a little ways down the road. Colin shut the door and we took off. "Gun it," I yelled "I am," Justin said. It was to late the cop was right on our tale with his red and blue lights aflame, we had to pull over.

My hands got sweaty and my heart began to race as the nervousness crept in. "If I get another underage consumption my licence gets taken away for a year," I half slurred half stuttered. We all waited in pure fear as the police officer came to the window. "Have you guys been drinking tonight," the police officer said. "No sir," said Justin confidently." The officer shined his flashlight at Colin in the back seat only to see a slouched squinty eyed kid with throw up on his sweatshirt. He then shined it on me and I threw a cheesy "I'm smashed" grin. "Can you step out of the vehicle for me," the cop asked Justin. Great I knew we were all screwed. The cop was going to take us out one by one and breathalyze us. As I sat in the car pondering my next move I realized that my house was only over the side of this hill to the right of us. That's when one of the dumbest ideas came into my intoxicated brain. "Colin I'm gonna make a run for it," I said, "My house is right over that hill." "Are you kidding me don't do that," Colin expressed. "If I get a ticket for evading a officer my licence wont be taken away for a year," I said.

It was to late I had made up my drunken mind, if I was going to run for it, it had to be now. I grabbed the handle and flung the door open ready to run. Little did I realize that Justin's car had the automatic seat belts that once the door is opened you have to wait for the seat belt to motorize down. As this was going on the officer and Justin just stood there looking at the opened door wondering what was going on. Another thing I didn't realize was that the patrolman was probably the only one on the force that was in excellent shape, very young, and fast.

All of a sudden I burst out and started running into the darkness. He chased after me and was right on my heels. "We got a 1540, in pursuit I need backup," I heard the officer yell into his radio right behind me. When I got to the hill it was to steep and I was stumbling and sliding down trying to get traction. I kicked off my shoes and got a grip right as the cop tried to grab my legs. I crawled up the hill at lightning speed adrenaline rushing threw my body. When I got to the top I was so out of breath and shook up that my ears started to ring and I thought I was going to pass out. I put my hands on my knees and breathed heavily until the pass out phase passed.

I walked a little further and sat down at a point overlooking the road. My socks had huge holes in them and the ground was cold and hard. I was surrounded by juniper trees, sage brush, and cactus. I watched as tiny blue and red lights raced past me on the road below spotlighting the hills with no outcome. It was like a dream, I couldn't believe what I had done. Just then I heard voices and saw a flashlight coming threw the trees. I jumped up and started running threw the woods toward my house. The dead sprint I was in didn't help me see the barb wire fence up ahead. I smashed right into it flipping and ripping my pants all the way down. By the time I got to my house I was on all fours with cactus thorns in my feet, wasted, barely any pants hanging on completely exhausted.

What a glorious idea it was to run. The next day I found out that the police had knocked on my door but no one answered, that I had a warrant for my arrest, and a really bad hang over. Although this was one of the scariest experiences I have ever been through, I ended up getting away scott free when the cop who chased me didn't show up for court. But I didn't get off that easy because at seventeen my parents weren't to fond of my actions and I was grounded for what seemed like eternity.