Report

Man blames zombies for causing him to crash stolen big rig

Here's a pro tip: if you happen to have stolen a semi truck and proceeded to crash it into a number of cars on an interstate, do yourself a favor and don't blame the escapade on zombies. That's exactly what 19-year-old Jerimiah Hartline did after he bounced his pilfered a big rig off of a number of vehicles in Temecula, CA. Hartline told the police he was attempting to flee from zombies when the accident happened, but that didn't stop law enforcement from charging him with a rash of offenses, including auto theft, attempted auto theft, reckless driving, hit-and-run resulting in injury and driving without a license among others.
California Highway Patrol said truck driver Daniel Martinez picked Hartline up in Tennessee as he was headed to San Diego. But when Martinez stopped to make adjustments to his truck just off of I-15, Hartline jumped behind the wheel and took off after having visions of zombies "coming after him."

There is some suspicion Hartline was under the influence of a controlled substance.

The young man then proceeded to swerve the truck from side to side in an attempt to elude his imagined pursuers. After around two miles, Hartline struck and overturned a Toyota Tacoma, which then bounced into a Toyota 4Runner and a Mercedes-Benz. Hartline then struck a Ford Taurus and a Honda Accord before jackknifing and blocking all four lanes of traffic. Hartline has since pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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