By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
MELVINDALE — A high-speed chase involving a man who ran a red-light in front of a police officer the night of Sept. 12 was terminated after the driver entered the freeway and started putting other drivers at risk during his aggressive and reckless escape attempt.
The driver, a black male wearing a bright green T-shirt, drove his gray 2008 Dodge Caravan east on Outer Drive through a red-light at Dix Highway.
The witnessing police officer activated his patrol car’s lights and sirens, and the driver slowed down and moved to the right lane, but did not pull over and stop. The driver waved toward a nearby parking lot, but then suddenly accelerated and tried to flee the traffic stop.
The man headed for I-75 northbound, and on the on ramp, he forced a slower driver off the roadway in his eagerness to perform a high-speed merge. Upon noticing this behavior, the police officer decided to terminate the pursuit, to prevent any other drivers from being put at risk by the pursuit. The police officer did obtain the fleeing vehicle’s license plate number.