Over the weekend, a terrifying live GTA scene occurred at the National Mall in Washington DC, leaving pedestrians scared. A man driving a black jeep was seen racing down the walkway despite the presence of pedestrians on the same path. Footage shared on Reddit showed the black Jeep driving off the road onto the lawn. The vehicle rashly sped across the lawn before driving down the gravel walkway, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Pedestrians were seen on the side watching the man drive off. While the man caused the disturbance, police vehicles were spotted in the area, indicating that law enforcement was very much on the scene.
Although the video ends abruptly, the caption carries a witness report of what happened. The witness reported that it was their first time experiencing a bizarre road race. They added that no one was injured, and the police intervened, causing the man to react more.
“I didn’t see the car enter the mall, but once U.S Park Police started boxing him in, the driver yelled, ‘I got plenty of gas!’ And did laps until he managed to escape down 7th Ave SW,” the report read.
Concluding the caption, the bystander noted that it’s unclear how far the driver went, given the road closures and police presence due to the National Capital Barbecue Battle.
The video soon went viral, garnering attention from social media users who were perplexed by the driver’s erratic behavior. Another person who witnessed the scene responded in the comments, sharing how people sought shelter.
The observer shared, “At first we all thought it was a cop, but then he started driving like a madman and we all started running and screaming. I got behind a tree. I had a family next to me with a disabled woman who was crying and running very slowly.
They continued, “For a second I thought I was going to die. That this man was going to kill himself by killing people. Fortunately, he didn’t want to kill anyone, but the police were slow to arrive, and the chase was ridiculous.”
Other social media users criticized the driver, and some took a humorous approach to the incident. One user slammed the wild man writing, “Yikes. What a nut job.” A second netizen related the incident to a scene from a movie, writing, “GTA VI: The District.” A third individual joked, “Hegseth trying to get back to the office from Happy Hour.”
The driver has been arrested, although it is unclear what charges he faces. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.