Sounds like its right out of a movie scene

SAN DIEGO — Motorists stopped on freeways yesterday and scrambled to collect cash that drug suspects tossed like confetti from their pickup while leading police on a pursuit during the evening commute.

Police arrested two men on Interstate 5 in Carmel Valley while other officers collected more than $17,000 along the pursuit route.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents took custody of the money, the pickup and the suspects.

Some civilians who got in on the cash-grab later handed it back to police. A 16-year-old boy turned over $570 at the department’s northeastern division station.

DEA spokeswoman Eileen Zeidler said most of the drug money was recovered. She would not say how much cash the suspects were carrying before the pursuit.

“We saw people stopped on the freeway and running around,” San Diego police Sgt. Kevin Rausis said. “Traffic was quite heavy in the commute time and it had stopped. The way the money was being disposed of (by the suspects), I think it was more of a desperate measure to get rid of evidence.”

The incident began about 5 p.m. in Mission Valley, where DEA agents had suspects under surveillance in what Zeidler called “a significant drug investigation.” Two men drove off in a pickup south on state Route 15 and DEA agents and San Diego police went in pursuit.

The pickup driver turned back northward in National City. On Interstate 5 near state Route 15, the passenger started flinging cash – mostly $20s and $100s – out his window. More money was tossed out on Interstate 805 at El Cajon Boulevard, Murray Ridge Road, Balboa Avenue and Miramar Road.

The pickup driver merged onto Interstate 5 at Carmel Valley and yielded to police and the California Highway Patrol north of state Route 56. Rausis said money was blowing across freeway lanes. Motorists were slamming to a halt in the middle of freeway lanes, jumping out and scooping up the bills.

More than an hour after the chase began, officers were still collecting the scattered money. More than $17,200 had been picked up, in $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills.

Proving that you don’t need Google’s billions or the BBC weather centre’s resources, the four Spanish students managed to send a camera-operated weather balloon into the stratosphere.

Taking atmospheric readings and photographs 20 miles above the ground, the Meteotek team of IES La Bisbal school in Catalonia completed their incredible experiment at the end of February this year.

Building the electronic sensor components from scratch, Gerard Marull Paretas, Sergi Saballs Vila, Marta­ Gasull Morcillo and Jaume Puigmiquel Casamort managed to send their heavy duty £43 latex balloon to the edge of space and take readings of its ascent.

Created by the four students under the guidance of teacher Jordi Fanals Oriol, the budding scientists, all aged 18-19, followed the progress of their balloon using high tech sensors communicating with Google Earth.

Team leader Gerard Marull, 18, said: “We were overwhelmed at our results, especially the photographs, to send our handmade craft to the edge of space is incredible.”

Completing their landmark experiment on February, the Meteotek team had to account for a wide variety of variables and rely on a lot of luck.

“The balloon we chose was inflated with helium to just over two metres and weighed just 1500 grams,” said Gerard. “It was able to carry the sensor equipment and digital Nikon camera which weighed 1.5kg.

“However, when we launched at 9.10am on that morning the critical point for the experiment was to see if the balloon would make it past 10,000m, or 30,000ft, which is the altitude that commercial airliners fly at.”

Due to the changing atmospheric pressures, the helium weather balloon carrying the meteorological equipment was expected to inflate to a maximum of nine and a half metres as it travelled upwards at 270 metres-per-minute.

“We took readings as the balloon rose and mapped its progress using Google Earth and the onboard radio receiver,” said Gerard.

“At over 100,000ft the balloon lost its inflation and the equipment was returned to the earth.

“We travelled 10km to find the sensors and photographic card, which was still emitting its signal, even though it had been exposed to the most extreme conditions.”

The pupils’ incredible school science project has already caught the attention of the University of Wyoming in the US, and the Meteotek team keep those interested updated with regular blogs and updates to their Twitter feed.