Georgia police took a man into custody after he allegedly led them on a high-speed chase on Oct. 9. Officers said the man was driving while intoxicated, traveling at high speeds along U.S. Highway 27. The chase reportedly ended when the man attempted to flee on foot.
Police said they suspected the man was driving drunk because he was driving erratically, weaving in and out of lanes at inconsistent speeds. They attempted to stop the vehicle around 1 a.m. at an intersection. While the car allegedly attempted to evade police, it collided with a sign near a parking lot and then hit a curb in front of a gas station. One witness said that sometime during the chase, they heard the car strike an unknown object near a fast-food restaurant.
Police said that after these two crashes, the man got out of the car and began running. They apprehended him after using a stun gun to incapacitate him. Officers said the man was heavily intoxicated on alcohol and over-the-counter medications. Reports did not disclose what charges, if any, the man faced. The incident was still under investigation at the time of the report.
People sometimes have reactions to medications that are intensified when combined with even a small amount of alcohol. These reactions may not become apparent until a person has already started driving somewhere. DUI defense attorneys may be able to negotiate with prosecutors to reduce charges to reckless driving or other less serious offenses in cases where undiagnosed medical conditions or unknown reactions to medications may have contributed to a DUI offense.
Source: Northwest Georgia News, “Intoxicated driver leads police on high-speed chase in LaFayette“, Josh O’Bryant, October 09, 2014