ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – Orinda police have successfully brought an unusual fugitive into custody after what may qualify as one of the slowest pursuits in Lamorinda history.
The suspect: a roughly 40-pound tortoise named Bernie.
Bernie apparently slipped away from home and set off on an unauthorized excursion through Orinda, eventually making his way onto Camino Pablo — a considerably more dangerous place for a wandering tortoise than the average backyard. Local reports put him roughly half a mile from home by the time his adventure came to an end.
The incident unfolded on Sunday, August 9, at around 2 p.m., when motorists encountered the enormous reptile crossing Camino Pablo near the Orinda Veterinary Clinic.
Eventually, the professionals were called in.
Orinda Police described the incident with appropriate gravity, announcing that a “suspect” had been apprehended after officers responded to a “very slow-speed getaway.” After searching for the runaway reptile, officers located Bernie on Camino Pablo and safely reunited him with his family.
There was another clue suggesting that this may not have been Bernie’s first brush with freedom: an Apple AirTag attached to his shell.
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Police said Bernie has escaped before, which apparently explains why his family had taken the unusual — but in retrospect rather sensible — step of fitting their tortoise with a tracking device. Television footage of Bernie following his adventure clearly showed the AirTag riding atop his shell.
Fortunately, Bernie’s expedition appears to have ended without injuries to him, motorists, or officers.
It also produced one of the more memorable police calls Orinda has seen lately.
He was returned home rather than booked into the Martinez Detention Facility, and there is no indication that prosecutors intend to pursue charges for unlawful wandering, obstructing traffic, or resisting arrest at approximately 0.3 miles per hour.
