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10/26/2004 (10/26/04 - DURHAM) — A Durham man wants answers after a prisoner got loose from police custody and crashed a stolen police cruiser into his truck. Luckily he and his family weren't hurt, his truck was wrecked and now he's stuck with the bill.There was almost tragedy Monday at the All Most New Tires shop in Durham. "It was just so close." Owner Bobby Elliott watched as an out of control Durham Police cruiser, driven by a fleeing suspect, came crashing through his parking lot and into his beloved F150 pickup, narrowly missing his wife and 15-month-old great granddaughter. "I reckon the Lord was riding' with them, they didn't get hurt anyway." But his truck did. It's totaled. And now, Bobby wants a new truck, paid for by the city, and he wants some answers. He'd like to know how was a handcuffed 22-year-old Daquan Bailey was able to make his way from the rear seat of the patrol car through the cage separating the front and the back - to get behind the wheel - and why was the car still running. "They don't need to get out of the car without taking that switch key out and carrying it with them."The Durham Police Department is also trying to figure out what went wrong and an internal review of the incident is underway. As for a new truck, Bobby plans to talk with the city officials tomorrow. The Risk Management Division should take up the case. Tonight he's just happy even though his truck is a loss, his family is still in one piece. Elliott said he plans on filing a lawsuit against the city for allowing bailey to steal the patrol car and hit his truck. Bailey suffered minor injuries and was taken to Duke University Hospital for treatment. No one else was injured. Police said charges were pending Monday night. The cruiser sustained extensive front-end damage, and the pickup truck was a total loss.
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