James Holmes’ Getaway Plan Revealed, Shooter’s Car Was Packed To Flee

Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes’ getaway plan has been revealed, and sources close to the case — stemming from a summer massacre in which the former student shot and killed 12 moviegoers in Colorado — say that a subsequent search of his car indicated plans to flee the scene alive.

According to Yahoo!, Holmes’ getaway plan wasn’t entirely apparent from the search of his vehicle, but investigators indicate that items found within the car suggest the intent to abscond from the scene of the killings — a plan that may only have been interrupted by arresting officers.

What Holmes’ getaway plan may have been exactly is not clear, but in the car, cops found his iPhone, “several” backpacks, a gun, ammunition, tear gas, and even devices to puncture tires.

Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole is not working on the Aurora case, but she did say she believed the items may be indicative of Holmes’ getaway plan. The experienced criminal analyst suggested that the suspect was “thinking that he was going to get away from that movie theater.”

Aurora Sgt. Gerald Jonsgaard told a court that he had sighted Holmes in his crosshairs, and that the suspected shooter seemed nearly surprised by the fact he had been apprehended — throwing his arms up and surrendering instantly in a way the sergeant described as theatrical:

“It was instant and exaggerated … It was like he was surprised or something like that.”

O’Toole also said that Holmes’ getaway plan is part of a larger plot masterminded by the suspected shooter, and that only Holmes knows the motive behind the decisions he made that day. Referring to the failed attempt to bomb his apartment building, she says:

“We would have seen a different finale had his apartment building exploded … The only one who knows what he was going to do at the end would be James Holmes. But with the planning that was involved in this case, I think he considered a number of options.”

Ultimately, Holmes getaway plan was foiled — and prosecutors are said to be planning to charge the suspect with 166 felony counts, including murder and attempted murder.