Utah man charged with DUI after police chase

A woman called police to say that her boyfriend had let her two children out on the side of the road because he was too drunk to drive. When police attempted to arrest him, a chase ensued. Now, he is not only charged with DUI, but also with other offenses connected to the pursuit.

Reportedly, after the woman’s call, police went to the residence where the man was located. He attempted to leave, but an officer pulled him over. At that time, the officer claims the man intentionally put his vehicle in reverse and slammed into the police car and sped away. Around 3 p.m., Utah Highway Patrol cameras supposedly recorded the minivan he was driving being followed by several cruisers.

The man is also accused of avoiding spike strips by reversing and hitting two more vehicles — one of which was another police car. Allegedly, speeds reached upwards of 90 mph as the chase continued. At some point, the driver got off the highway and supposedly headed right toward two men who were fishing. Another officer put his patrol car between the men and the driver, causing a third collision. The patrol car was said to be disabled, yet the resilient minivan continued to flee undeterred until it ran into a metal gate.

When officer’s approached the vehicle, they claimed to smell a strong odor of alcohol. Testing allegedly showed that his blood alcohol level was .246, which is well above Utah’s legal limit of .08. Regardless of these events, the man’s right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt remains intact. His being charged with DUI, aggravated assault (2 counts), felony evading and fleeing the scene of an accident (4 counts) could result in significant penalties if convictions for one or more of these offenses is secured. Therefore, as would be the case with anyone else, the prosecution must prove its case, and the man may present a defense to the charges.

Source: fox13now.com, “Heavily intoxicated man leads police on high-speed chase, rams several cars in the process“, Robert Boyd, July 5, 2015