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Man Who Lost Both Legs Crashing A Stolen Cop Car Arrested For Murder
A 28-year-old man who lost both legs after crashing a stolen police cruiser four years ago has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his on-again, off-again boyfriend in Echo Park.
Nicholas James Bowling, 28, is accused of strangling 48-year-old Frank Rogers at a sober living facility at Waterloo and Elsinore in Echo Park where Bowling had been living, The Pride LA reports. Rogers had been visiting Bowling when the pair got into a "domestic dispute," according to police. Bowling allegedly put Rogers into a "choke-hold," ultimately killing him. Bowling was arrested on July 8 at 6 p.m.
Friends of Rogers' told KTLA that he was a "loving, kind" man who worked in sales at a law firm. Those who knew the couple told The Pride that Rogers and Bowling had an on-again, off-again relationship, and that Rogers often helped support Bowling, who suffered with addiction.
Bowling had a pretty serious run-in with law enforcement in August of 2012—one that cost him both legs. An LAPD officer was investigating a robbery at motel near La Brea and Adams 4 a.m. when Bowling jumped into the officer's unattended Crown Vic and took it for a high-speed joyride. Bowling's trip was short-lived, as he lost control of the car and crashed it into a pole outside the Starbucks at San Vicente and La Brea shortly thereafter. This was no fender-bender. A witness told NBC 4, "He literally hit this light pole at about 89, 90, 100 miles per hour. The car just came apart."
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LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said it was the most damage he'd seen a cop car take in 24 years.
"This was an unbelievable scene of carnage. The engine was out, the transmission was in the road, the hood was down the street. The car was a complete wreck."
LAFD responders found that one of Bowling's leg had been cut off in the crash. KTLA reports that Bowling ultimately lost both legs in the incident.
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