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Driver tries to carpool with mannequin, but cop knows a dummy when he sees one

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The bane of many solo drivers is the prohibition on the carpool lane.

But police say one Orange County driver hatched a scheme to escape notice and travel in the fast lane: put a mannequin in the front seat and dress it in a black sweatshirt.

The long-running scheme came to an embarrassing end Wednesday, when Brea police said they busted the driver and his dummy during an encounter on the 57 Freeway.

A police motorcycle officer was traveling northbound on the freeway near Tonner Canyon at about 5 p.m. when a pickup abruptly turned out of the carpool lane, according to the Brea Police Department.

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The pickup nearly struck the officer’s motorcycle, police said.

The officer wanted to tell the driver to use more caution during a lane change, so he pulled up next to the driver’s open window.

But the officer was shocked to see a mannequin in the passenger seat instead of a person.

The driver’s name was not released. He told police he had used the dummy as a time-saving trick for “quite some time,” authorities said.

Police issued a citation for driving solo through the carpool lane.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

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Twitter: @MattHjourno.

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