Running For thousands of years in the past, the standard method of escape from a crime scene was for the perpetrator merely to run away, faster than the
constable on patrol,
sheriff, or the
night watchman. This was common even into the 20th century. For example, according to the
Warren Commission report,
Lee Harvey Oswald infamously walked, then ran away from the
Texas School Book Depository from where he
shot President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. If another means of transportation becomes unavailable, the suspect may have to run. During the Columbian
search block manhunt,
Pablo Escobar and his
cartel associates utilized multiple methods to evade the authorities, even at times using escape-horses.
Vehicle A
motor vehicle, commonly referred to as a
getaway car, is frequently used by the offender to flee the scene of a crime. Getaway cars are prevalent in
major crimes such as
bank robberies and
homicides. Very frequently, but not always, a getaway car is
stolen and is abandoned soon after the crime, in the hope that the vehicle cannot be traced to the offender. If the vehicle does not belong to the driver and is quickly abandoned, a trace may not be possible without examination of
forensic evidence. In some cases, the offender may go to extreme measures to discard the getaway vehicle in order to hinder investigations by dumping it in a
river,
lake or a deeply secluded
forest, The
criminal investigation can be further complicated by the use of multiple getaway vehicles, which can confuse eyewitnesses, as well as creating multiple places to investigate: each vehicle is a new crime scene. In
Forensics for Dummies, the
rookie is reminded: "At a minimum, the crime scene includes ... Areas from which the site can be entered, exited, or even escaped...." or inadvertently by giving away information to persons outside the conspiracy. If the driver, who may have parked some distance away, unknowingly drives past the scene of the crime, the getaway vehicle itself may identify the occupants to the crime victim and police. This is especially true if the vehicle has unique markings or is an unusual model. a murderer needs to "think strategically" to get away with
murder—to "mislead police, stage crime scenes and destroy evidence." Taking a public
bus or
taxicab makes the driver an involuntary co-conspirator, yet also creates an eyewitness whose interest it is to cooperate with police. Witnesses to the crime will often attempt to take note of the
tags (registration plate) or other important details of the car and report this information to law enforcement. If a witness follows the offender to the point of abandonment, and observes the offender's tracks from beyond this point, that may help the police. However, such civilian involvement may be dangerous, and is generally not recommended by police departments. In other cases, the public may be hesitant to cooperate, with or without the offer of a reward: The earliest robbers known to have made such use of an automobile were the anarchist-inspired
Bonnot Gang, active in Paris of the early 1910s. Later, the method was used by
John Dillinger and
Bonnie and Clyde, whose exploits got wide media attention and inspired many less-known robbers. ==Rebuttal of the insanity defense==