Perth fugitive jumps out of wheelchair, flees police

An Australian man who crashed a stolen car during a high-speed police chase jumped out of a wheelchair at a hospital where he was treated for injuries and escaped Thursday, police said.

Colin Bradley Little, 22, was charged with more than 20 offenses including aggravated armed robbery after police say he stole cars during the hours-long pursuit Wednesday. He was admitted to a hospital under guard for injuries.

But on Thursday morning, as he was being taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair, he jumped up and fled, Western Australia state Superintendent Gary Budge told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Budge said police were still investigating the escape and could not say whether Little had been handcuffed.

"I would hope so," he said.

More than 100 officers were hunting for Little, and police urged residents to lock their houses and car doors.

Police said Little and a 21-year-old woman stole a car Wednesday after threatening its occupants with a hammer. During an ensuing pursuit by police, Little forced the driver out of another car and tried to do the same with three others, police said.

The chase ended when Little rammed a police cruiser and flipped over the stolen car, police said.

A video of the chase shows a car, allegedly driven by Little, zigzagging around traffic, darting past a police blockade and careening off the road into a park. At that point, a man jumps out, races into the street, forces a driver of another car out of his vehicle, and jumps in. The man then nearly runs over a police officer before driving off again.

The woman accused of being Little's accomplice was arrested and was to appear in court Thursday on two counts of stealing a motor vehicle.

- AAP