Fugitive’s botched handoff of getaway bag [Video]

It may have appeared fugitive rape suspect Stephen Paul Gale’s was lost or confused as he led police on a winding chase through Los Angeles last month. But 5 Investigates has learned it was actually part of an elaborate plot.Sources said Gale was trying to meet up with an associate who had a getaway bag for him containing cash, identity cards and a new cellphone.The missed handoff happened soon after Gale drove through a parking lot by a McDonald’s and a hotel on Century Boulevard. A pedestrian was seen approaching the car. According to the sources, the man couldn’t get the bag into the car, and with police close behind, Gale kept driving for another hour before being taken into custody near Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. His associate was detained but released without being charged.Gale’s attorney, James Blatt, declined to comment on the getaway bag.As 5 Investigates first reported, …