---
title: "‘Bonnie & Clyde’ Suspects End Police Chase with Romantic Kiss by Helicopter Spotlight"
description: "An Arizona couple had a night to remember on Wednesday after running from police in a stolen truck, crashing the vehicle in the middle of the desert, and and kissing by helicopter spotlight as officers rushed in to arrest them."
date: "2018-01-11"
modified: "2018-01-11"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/17597/bonnie-clyde-suspects-end-police-chase-with-romantic-kiss-by-helicopter-spotlight"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Arizona"
  - "police chase"
  - "SUV"
---

# ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ Suspects End Police Chase with Romantic Kiss by Helicopter Spotlight

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

An Arizona couple had a night to remember on Wednesday after running from police in a stolen truck, crashing the vehicle in the middle of the desert, and and kissing by helicopter spotlight as officers rushed in to arrest them, [the *Arizona Republic* reports.](<https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/gilbert-breaking/2018/01/10/police-pursuit-southeast-valley/1023074001/>)

According to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, the pursuit began in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa after officers spotted a stolen GMC Yukon and tried to initiate a traffic stop. The truck headed southeast into the town of Gilbert, with units from the Pinal and Maricopa County sheriff's offices, the Gilbert and Mesa police departments, and several television news helicopters all joining the chase.

Eventually, the truck reached a rural area south of the suburbs and drove through two fences in a bid to lose ground units in the desert before crashing in a ditch. With live TV crews filming the wreck, out popped 35-year-old Dustin Perkins and 29-year-old Lovida Flores, each fleeing haphazardly in opposite directions. But love wins out in the end—after about 100 yards, the couple wandered back toward each other and embraced, hugging and kissing to the light of a million lumens as officers swarmed the scene and arrested them both.

https://youtube.com/embed/g7b0U4GZhr4

A Pinal County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman [told the *Republic*](<https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/gilbert-breaking/2018/01/10/police-pursuit-southeast-valley/1023074001/>) that Bonnie and Clyde Perkins and Flores will each face several serious charges, including unlawful flight, criminal damage, and vehicle theft. The pair also suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Perkins was [confronted by a local reporter](<https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/police-chase-underway-in-southeast-valley>) as he left the hospital, who asked him if the woman Flores was his wife. "She might as well be," he replied, adding that running was a "really stupid thing" and that he was sorry for all the chaos.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)