united-states police driving
&quot;Evading&quot; police car (with lights on) before it turns around to follow you
<p>Say you're excessively speeding down a divided highway when a police cruiser passes you on the other side of the median and flips on the lights and sirens. Now of course you assume this is a result of your speeding but of course you can't be sure they could be trying to get to another scene down the road. </p>

<p>So now you realize if the cop is coming for you it will take a full 30 seconds to get to the nearest turn around and back to you, it will also for whatever brief margin put you out of view. Would it be illegal to then pull off and park behind a building in a fairly obvious attempt to hide from the police? What if in a less obvious way you just turn down a side road and keep heading that way would that be evading the officer?</p>

<p>This varies from state to state.  Here's a representative statute:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Any driver or operator of a motor vehicle who, having been given a visual or audible signal by a peace officer directing such driver or operator to bring his vehicle to a stop, willfully fails or refuses to obey such direction, increases his speed, extinguishes his lights, or otherwise flees or attempts to elude the officer. <em>See</em> 625 ILCS 5/11-204.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>For a first offense, IL calls it a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year and $2.5K. but on the third offense it becomes a felony punishable by up to 3 years and a $25K fine.</p>

<p>If the signal was meant for you, then the divided highway is a moot point so long as you realize it was for you (which might be established by you turning off the road into some neighborhood where you have no business).</p>

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