Suspect in wild pursuit across San Francisco's Bay Bridge is actually an adorable chihuahua

A small black chihuahua led San Francisco California Highway Patrol officers on a slow-speed chase Sunday morning on the Bay Bridge.

One officer stopped traffic while the other was literally on the dog's tail as he made his way across the bridge. It took four attempts by officers to catch the dog — now dubbed "Ponch" after Erik Estrada's character on CHiPS — before he was finally apprehended, and while he was wearing a collar, it didn't have a tag. Officers are now looking for his owners, and he will be placed for adoption if they don't come forward within five days.

"We've had dogs on the bridge, all sorts of animals: seals, turtles, you name it," Officer Vu Williams said. "We never had one that took off and took so long to get." Although Ponch failed to pull over and resisted arrest, he won't be charged.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up