Learn · Sentences Reporting a Crime

The criminal fled the scene before the police arrived.

B1

Sentence

Narrator

The criminal fled the scene before the police arrived.

Study notes

How to use in different contexts

Reporting News

The criminal fled the scene before police arrived, witnesses reported.

Describing an Event

The suspect quickly escaped the area before law enforcement could apprehend him.

Legal Context

The defendant's hasty departure from the crime scene was noted in the police report.

Fictional Narrative

Just as the sirens wailed in the distance, the figure melted into the shadows, leaving the scene untouched.

Rephrased versions

Formal

The perpetrator absconded from the location prior to the arrival of law enforcement.

Casual

The guy ran off before the cops showed up.

Simpler English

The criminal ran away before the police got there.

Phrases to learn

fled the scene

To run away from a place, especially after committing a crime.

before the police arrived

Prior to the police's arrival at a location.