He fled / He ran away.
FOO-gah — short, sharp 'u'; the phrase is often said quickly.
Use when reporting to police that a suspect has already fled the scene. This triggers a search protocol and helps police determine which direction to patrol.
'Darsi alla fuga' is a fixed expression meaning to flee. For a female subject: 'si è data alla fuga'. For multiple people: 'si sono dati alla fuga'.
È scappato/a.
He/she escaped.
Informal and very common in spoken reports.
È fuggito/a in direzione nord.
He/she fled northward.
Add direction to help police intercept.
È partito/a a tutta velocità su uno scooter.
He/she sped off on a scooter.
Very common escape method in Italian cities.
Scooter-mounted theft (scippo da scooter) is well-documented in Naples and Rome. Police advise tourists to wear bags across the body and away from the road side when walking near traffic.