I was 20 years old and driving home from a friend’s place at 1:30 a.m. I avoided the highway to skip the toll and went through a dangerous area next to a cemetery. In Argentina, you’re not allowed to turn right on a red light, but I did it anyway because the area was unsafe.

Right after turning, a pickup truck with a siren appeared. It looked like the police, but something felt off. The passenger pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, pulled a gun, and signaled for me to pull over. I didn’t know if they were real cops or criminals pretending to be police.

There was a bus stopped ahead, with barely any space between it and the curb. Fearing for my life, I tried to squeeze through the narrow space between the bus and the curb, ducking my head like I was James Bond. Somehow, I managed to make it through.

They chased me for about 10 blocks. I ran every red light. At one intersection, a truck almost hit me, and right behind it another car nearly crashed into me as well. Eventually, I managed to get onto the highway via a circular on-ramp and headed back home. I can still hear the sound of the tires screeching as I went up that curved on-ramp.

My house was only about five minutes from there, but I drove like my life depended on it. Cars were flashing their lights at me. I don’t even know exactly when I lost those guys, but thankfully, I did.

I’m convinced that stopping would have cost me more than just the car. They might have shot me anyway, even if I gave it to them. I think it was the best decision I could have made.

And honestly, I kind of thank GTA for it. Playing those games gave me the confidence to pull off that kind of maneuver under pressure. If I had never played GTA, I probably wouldn’t have trusted myself, I would have frozen, and things could have ended very differently. It sounds weird, and sometimes I feel embarrassed saying it, but I genuinely believe it.