The incident started around 1:10 a.m. Wednesday when Lindenwold police responded to a domestic violence call on the 2000 block of Brighton Avenue.
An arriving officer was met by 35-year-old Danyl Fontanez, who told him there was no longer a problem. When the officer explained he still needed to investigate the call, Fontanez allegedly became uncooperative and disruptive, eventually leading to a brief struggle and her arrest.
Fontanez was handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car.
While the officers continued their investigation, Fontanez allegedly slipped out of her handcuffs and kicked out the center partition window between the front and back seats of the police cruiser. She then climbed into the driver's seat and sped away in the patrol car.
"It's a solid piece of glass between the front and back seat. Even if you take the window out, it's only about a foot; I wouldn't fit through it," Detective Christopher Sherrer of the Lindenwold Police Department said.
The cruiser pursued for about 5 minutes before police managed to stop Fontanez on Bayberry Court in Cherry Hill.
Police say during her apprehension Fontanez continued to fight with the officers, and in an effort to subdue her, she suffered a minor cut to her chin. Fontanez was transported to the hospital for treatment.
Lindenwold police say they don't use zip-ties for cuffs, and they left the car running because it would have been too hot for her to sit without air conditioning.
"Handcuffs only go so tight, if you have little hands, you can fold your fingers, and you don't have to worry about pain because you'll pull right through them eventually," Sherrer said.
The patrol car was recovered undamaged.
