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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Traffic cop sticks with it: Coach driver gets bus-ted

In this photo made from video, Vietnamese traffic police 2nd Lt. Nguyen Manh Phan clings to the windshield wipers of a fleeing bus in Hanoi. (Associated Press)
Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam – A Vietnamese traffic cop went on a wild ride in Hanoi, clinging to the windshield wipers of a moving bus for about a half mile after the rogue driver tried to avoid a ticket, police said Friday.

Traffic police 2nd Lt. Nguyen Manh Phan ordered the bus driver to pull over the 39-seat passenger coach Monday, said a police officer in Ba Vi District outside Hanoi.

The driver allegedly refused to show his paperwork and drove off – but not before Phan leaped onto the front, he added. The officer said the bus reached a top speed of about 30 mph.

A video shot by one of Phan’s fellow police officers shows the officer trying to get his footing and dangling precariously from the moving bus as oncoming traffic whizzes past. Phan can be heard yelling, “Call the police!”

The driver, Phung Hong Phuong, eventually pulled over after being chased by police and residents.

Even with the bus stopped, Phan stood calmly in front of it, still hanging on to the wipers.

Phuong was arrested for allegedly acting against public officials, an offense that carries a maximum three-year prison sentence, the officer said. He previously served nearly four years in prison for a fatal traffic accident, and was released in 2010.