Published: May 14, 2008 10:34 pm         

Man leads police on four-county chase

A New Jersey man was in State Police custody Wednesday night after troopers say he led them on a four-county pursuit on the West Virginia Turnpike with his BMW nearly reaching 90 mph and crashing into two vehicles.

Around 6 p.m., troopers in Kanawha County attempted to stop a man driving a gray BMW with New Jersey tags, Capt. T.L. Phillips said. She said the driver was speeding and driving recklessly. The man refused to stop.

Speeds during the pursuit varied, but they nearly reached 90 mph at times, Phillips said. The driver’s path continued through Fayette and Raleigh counties, blazing through toll booths and construction zones. Troopers deployed stop sticks in four locations, but the driver avoided them.

South of Beckley, the driver struck a vehicle from behind and kept going, Phillips said. Then, near Camp Creek in Mercer County, the driver’s left wheels went into the median. He lost control, shot into the right-hand lane and went underneath a tractor-trailer.

Phillips said the driver resisted arrest by kicking at officers, but he was quickly taken into custody. He was taken to the Princeton detachment, where troopers were working to confirm his identity. He had New Jersey identification. He was not the owner of the BMW, but it had not been reported stolen.

The driver was to be examined at a hospital as a precautionary measure, even though he did not complain of anything at the scene, Phillips said. Then he was to be taken to Southern Regional Jail.

At a “very minimum,” the driver will likely be charged with reckless driving and fleeing police, Phillips said.

Despite the pursuit’s hazardous conditions, Phillips said authorities were lucky.

“There was light traffic and we were very fortunate,” she said. “There were no injuries and no property damage except what was done to the other vehicles.”

Cpl. J.T. Findley was the arresting officer and assisted by multiple troopers in multiple locations, Phillips said. The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department was also prepared, as were Virginia authorities.

— Amelia A. Pridemore