Woman critical after jumping out of the moving patrol car

VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – A woman who jumped from the back seat of a moving sheriff’s patrol car on Interstate 5 in southwest Washington is in critical condition.

A Washington State Patrol spokesman Tuesday said Sara Gottwig-Carr was arrested Monday on suspicion of Grade 4 assault, domestic violence and disrupting an emergency call, The Oregonian / OregonLive reported.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said while she was handcuffed to the back of an alternate’s car, Gottwig-Carr loosened her seat belt and jumped out the passenger side window while the car was traveling at “freeway speed” in Vancouver.

The car’s deputy, identified as Billy Childers, has been put on vacation for critical incidents. Washington State Patrol will be conducting an investigation into what happened.

Trooper Will Flinn, a spokesman for the state patrol, declined to answer questions about how Gottwig-Carr got out of the car, citing the ongoing investigation.