A California police officer lost a suspect in traffic after the battery in his electric patrol car conked out before he was able to nab the crook he was chasing in a high-speed chase.

A recording of police radio calls shows that a Fremont, California, officer was chasing a suspect at speeds of upwards to 120 miles per hour. But the chase did not go well for the police, according to the Mercury News.

As the chase neared its end, the officer called in to his dispatcher to ask for another officer to follow up on the chase because the battery of his Tesla Model S patrol car was about to die.

“I am down to six miles of battery on the Tesla so I may lose it here in a sec,” Officer Jesse Hartman is heard saying on the recording.

take our poll - story continues below

Will You Be Voting In Person November 3rd? Will You Be Voting In Person November 3rd?

Should the Government be Mandating Masks? * Yes No My State Is Not Allowing In Person Voting

Email *

Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Completing this poll grants you access to Godfather Politics updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

“If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the number one spot?” the officer asked fellow officers.

As it turns out, only minutes later the suspect began driving dangerously on the gravel shoulder because traffic was stacked up in front of him.

At that point the officer called off the chase because a state law prevents high speed chases if it puts the public in danger.

So, the bad guy got away.

At that point, the officers stopped their chase and turned around to head back for their station.

But not before officer Hartman was forced to pull off the highway and go in search of a charging station to give him enough juice to get back home.

“I’ve got to try to find a charging station for the Tesla so I can make it back to the city,” the officer is heard saying.

The Fremont Police Department made big news in liberal California for being the first department to adopt electric cruisers for its officers. I guess now we see what a stupid idea that was?

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.