Joe Loya (20:55)
And you're stuck on it for, like, five miles or something like that. There's. There's nothing you can do. I'm thinking, they're looking for me. They have clearly decided that I robbed banks and they shut down the freeway up ahead. So I'm like, okay, I get how this works. So I don't know exactly what I'm gonna do. I'm kind of panicking. But pretty soon the decision is taken from me because my car starts overheating, and I like, what? So, like, I. Inch, inch, inch. Like, I let people, like, hey, let me go. Let me get through. Let me get. I gotta go off the right. So I get off the right, and I go on this lane right here. And so I parked my car maybe about right here, actually. And then I get out of my car, and I put the money around my waist, and I start walking off this off ramp here. So I walk down this off ramp, and down here at the bottom of the off ramp, his car parked, waving everyone in there is the cop. And now he could see that, you know, clearly I wasn't trying to get over, and I don't have my car. I'm like, here. I said, is there a gas station or something on there? He goes, no, you got to go under the freeway here and go back where you came from. Three mile, four miles back, there's a gas station. I'm like, all right, thanks. And I'm really trying to do the. Like, I'm. I'm a college kid, and I'm fucked up, and you're the authority, and I apologize. And he was like, you know, he actually was nice about it. And I don't care because I got away. Like, I'm like, good. I'm getting away. I got. I got past him. I'm good. I'm going this way. And then I. I just, like, startled by. And I turn around, and there's a highway patrol car, right, pulling up to me. What are you doing? I said, well, that guy, your officer down there, your. Your buddy, whatever, He. He told my car overheat. I'm, like, all bumbling it. I. He told me that. That I could go this way because I don't. You know, my car overheated and just panicking. Like, pretend like I'm just so scared of everyone's authority, and they're like, get in the backseat. We'll take you there. I said, really? He goes, yeah, yeah. I go, thanks. And I hop in the back, and I'm all happy about it. And so we start taking off. You know, they're cops, and they have to figure out, you know, who I am. They're suspicious, and they have to ask, what are you doing? Where'd you come from? I said, well, you know, I met this girl at usc. We were at a party, and she. She lived down here. So I came down for. Here for two or three days. But you know how that happens, man. I had plenty. It was enough. I had to get the hell out of there. And then, like, all of a sudden, this misogyny that I'm, like, leaning into, you know, us, man, you get it. Men, the women just there. They wear us out and whatever. They got that. And then all of a sudden, they just calm down. Yeah, yeah, we get it, like. And all of a sudden, we're bros in that car because we're all like, yeah, women, you know, they're all. They muff us up. Everything was cool at that point. And I said, he, hey, the officer told me that there had been some accident or something back in. And they share with me that there's officers who were shot and there's a crash. An officer crashed, and the guy crashed. Then they say, you know, but the bad guy. We got the bad guy. And I said, well, what about the officer? I started leaning into, like, I'm a citizen and I care about you guys. And what about him? Is he all right? And they say, oh, yeah, he's gonna be fine. I said, does he have a family? I'm really laying on the compassion for the CO so that they like me. And they do. They like me. We pull over. There's a rest stop back there a couple miles back. I said, you know what? Just leave me off at the rest of us. Hey, we'll take it in gas station. I said, you know what? It's my uncle's car. And he didn't tell me that it overheats. So just leave me here. I'm gonna make him come down and get it. So then I say, they pull over and I try to get out. There's no handles in the back seat. So I'm like, oh, wow, there's no handles back. I pretend like I've never been back of a police car before. And I got $50,000. My. My. You know, I'm carrying $50,000 on me. And they say, oh, yeah, we gotta let you out. So they let me out and you know, the cop in the passenger seat gets out, lets me out and then they roll. He gets back in, he rolls the window down and I'm said, hey, thank you officers. I appreciate you guys giving me this ride. And they were friendly to me, like, we could take you, it's no problem. Like, no, no, no, thanks anyway. And. And they drove off and I was like, what the. Late at night I get a call from an ex cellmate I had in San Diego County Jail and he says, were you doing any work down here today? I said, yeah ma'. Am. He says, you're all over the tv. You're on Crime Stoppers. They think it's your Pakistani and they think you live in Tijuana. I was like, all right, good to know, good to know. So those two guys had me in the back seat of the car. They saw my face, I came to the door, I looked at them, you know, hey, thank you, appreciate it. Whatever. The next morning these guys come into work and they. And they like, we're looking for this mail. He robbed four banks today. If you see anything about, if you have any information, you let us know. And I wonder, do those cops say, oh, we gotta go tell them we had them? Or did they say, keep our mouths fucking shut, don't tell anybody.
