A man who led Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase Wednesday morning violently crashed his car east of Tucson and had to be pulled from the burning wreckage, officials said. Posted on 05/12/2005 6:33:44 AM PDT by Kokojmudd
Suspect freed, OK despite speeds of up to 120 mph By Becky Pallack ARIZONA DAILY STAR
A man who led Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase Wednesday morning violently crashed his car east of Tucson and had to be pulled from the burning wreckage, officials said.
Neither the man nor his rescuers were seriously injured in the crash, near the Vail interchange on Interstate 10.
The 10-mile chase began when Officer Ted Edwards of the Arizona Department of Public Safety tried to stop a white 2004 Chevy Impala near the eastbound Kolb Road exit on I-10 around 9:45 a.m. because the driver was weaving in his lane.
But the driver, Juan Martinez Vasquez, a Mexican national in his 20s, speeded up and started swerving in and out of traffic, using the emergency lane and the median, at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, said DPS Officer Phil Cianciolo, who also was involved in the pursuit.
"He was taking extraordinary measures to get away, and we were taking reasonable measures to make sure no one got hurt," Cianciolo said.
About three miles down the road, Edwards called for a helicopter to follow the car so he could back off.
"If an innocent person's going to get hurt, we're going to terminate the pursuit," said Officer Jim Oien, a DPS spokesman. Runaway drivers usually slow down when a helicopter gets involved, he said.
But after another six miles, Martinez Vasquez turned onto the Vail interchange at 100 mph, officials said.
However, he didn't make the turn at the top of the ramp and flew off the road into a ravine, rupturing the fuel line, Cianciolo said. The car vaulted halfway across Wentworth Road, caught fire, scraped across the northbound lane and overturned on the other side of the road.
Edwards was still following the car and ran to pull the driver from the upside-down, burning vehicle.
Firefighters arrived and saw hot magnesium dripping from the car's engine and used dirt and a special foam to put out the fire and keep it from spreading to thick brush in the area, said Todd Cupell, a spokesman for the Corona de Tucson Fire Department.
The fire "had a lot of potential for being very dangerous" because of explosions, he said.
The magnesium was burning so brightly that workers at the scene had to turn away, Cianciolo said.
Martinez Vasquez refused to give his name to officers, but he was identified through a Border Patrol fingerprint database. He suffered bumps and scrapes, and was treated at University Medical Center before he was booked into the Pima County jail on a charge of felony flight from a law enforcement vehicle. The investigation will continue, Oien said.
Everyone was surprised that the driver walked away, and "we're very fortunate no one else got hurt in this," Oien said.
"The sad part of it is he endangered himself and everybody on the road, when he probably would have been issued a citation and maybe released to Border Patrol if he would have pulled over and stopped," he said.
It was unclear Wednesday why Martinez Vasquez was fleeing from officers, Oien said, but the suspect had been arrested by the Border Patrol four times previously.
High-speed pursuits are fairly common for Highway Patrol officers, Oien said. Statewide, a chase occurs almost daily. Most happen at night and end quickly, either when the driver pulls over or the officer calls off the chase, he said.
There are more chases in Southern Arizona than in the central or northern regions of the state, possibly because people- and drug-smuggling operations work close to the border, Oien said. He noted the number of chases involving illegal immigrants has increased in the past few years.
● Contact reporter Becky Pallack at 629-9412 or at bpallack@azstarnet.com.
And if he keeps it under 80 from now on, he'll get free college tuition.
And if he keeps it under 80 from now on, he'll get free college tuition.
Bears repeating...
That lucky *(*%$ was released? What, after 4 arrests you no longer qualify for deportation?
Damn, that really is a fiery crash!!!
Another psychotic "migrant" flipping cars Americans-don't- want-to-flip Ping.
Heck, I wouldn't want to flip a 2004 Chevy Impala!
It'd crush like a can!
Not at all as solid as the old designs!
Why, back when I was young...
/ end crotchety old time muscle car enthusiast voice.
It sure is unclear. He must have known they wouldn't do anything but release him again!
"I hope the govt. pays to fix his car, send him to college, free hospital expenses and then gives the family whatever it needs. We have to take care of those poor Mexicons who want to game the system."
As I understand it the congress passed legislation authorizing federal tax dollars to pay state hospitals for treatment of illegals. So I guess that means they think the problem is "fixed." Happy Drinko-De-Mayo everybody!
ROTFL!
I can't believe he walked away. And, I'm surprised it wasn't an F150 or one of their usual stolen truck/van favorites. We have to quadruple secure our trucks at the mall or wherever we are in Tucson - even in our carports.
Is it just us on fr or is the rest of the country as pissed off as we are?
They should have just let him burn. I have no sympathy for people who do high speed chases.
Sheesh.
Here the usual stolen cars are the Celicas, Civics, and Acuras.
All the 'sporty' looking cars.
I'm surprised he isn't dead.
120MPH, flipped AND sploded into flames.
He'd BETTER thank whoever was watching over him.
Because he's in "a bad ways" now.
And then some.
That is a good question! I keep wondering. It seems like the polls show most/many people are upset, but a poll is easier to take than other actions.
Grrrr. . .
It would have been best for all had the officer not made a mistake and pulled this piece of crap out of the vehicle.
That explains everything - this guy is just giving the Highway Patrol high-speed pursuit experience that Americans don't to...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.