A high-speed police chase that began in Phoenix, Ariz., culminated with a violent, head-on crash in Tempe, Ariz., on Wednesday.
Troopers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety took 31-year-old Mitchell Timothy Taebel into custody following the crash, azcentral reported.
DPS Trooper Kameron Lee said the driver of the other vehicle, a 47-year-old woman was transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“It’s just, like stunning, I’ve never seen anything like that before. The car is completely totaled. Everything is totally messed up. I don’t know how she is OK — I see her get on the stretcher and she seemed to be talking to the officers,” witness Cameron Robinson said.
The incident began when a DPS sergeant tried to stop a red SUV for a moving-traffic violation on State Route 85.
The driver failed to stop and instead headed toward Interstate 10, Lee said. Police deployed stop sticks, but the driver managed to veer around them.
Police continued the chase until about 59th Avenue when speeds started to reach about 100km/h.
A DPS helicopter took over as the vehicle made its way east to the Loop 202 connection.
The red SUV exited at Scottsdale Road and headed south. That’s when two DPS vehicles tried to box in the SUV.
“The suspect veered to the right and rammed one of our patrol cars and then continued southbound at a high rate of speed, Lee said.
The red SUV sideswiped a vehicle before a thunderous crash head-on into a black SUV and rolled several times before coming to a stop near Arizona State University.
Aerial video showed the driver get out and appear to talk to some passersby.
DPS troopers then came on the scene and arrested Taebel after some initial confusion.
According to Lee, Taebel had a criminal history with felonies and misdemeanors in several other states, though he was not initially stopped for anything other than the traffic infraction.