Police: Clothesline helps officers arrest fleeing man carrying 61 bags of heroin

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) — A man running from officers was arrested thanks to the help of an outdoor laundry clothesline.

Police say that Lionel Brown-Bowman, a 26-year-old man from Pleasantville, was riding his bike erratically, which forced motorists around him to make sudden lane changes in order to avoid hitting him.

The incident, which took place around 6:54 p.m., led Officers Eric Evans and Kevin Perez to try and stop Brown-Bowman so they could speak with him about his actions.

Brown-Bowman ignored the officers’ orders to stop and sped away.

As he fled, he eventually ditched his bike while the officers gave chase.

Brown-Bowman failed to notice a hanging clothesline as he ran and he collided with the line, which took him to the ground.

Officer Evans was able to take him into custody without further incident.

A search of Brown-Bowman found him in possession of 61 bags of heroin, 15 Xanax Pills, and 3 grams of marijuana, according to police.

He has been charged with several counts of possession, intent to distribute, resisting arrest, and a traffic summons.

He has since been released with a summons for a future court date.