English Translation
He ran away at the sight of a police patrol.
In this context I think it is more likely “er rannte…”
Yes, “davonlaufen” leaves it open whether someone ran or walked.
Since it’s mentioned here that he “ran”, you can definitely say “Er rannte … davon.”
2 Likes
Wiktionary (laufen - Wiktionary, the free dictionary) says:
to walk; to jog; to run (to move on foot; either at a normal or an increased speed)
So it’s not restricted to slow walking.
But yes, “rannte” also works.
1 Like