Police catch driver who led them on a tri-county chase

NEAR LAKE WORTH,, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have arrested a driver accused of striking a police cruiser and leading them on a chase across three counties.

The white Mazda, identified as a rental car, hit speeds in excess of 130 miles an hour and rolled to a stop in northern Palm Beach County after receiving damage from sideswiping several vehicles and a guardrail.

The driver mostly passed cars on the emergency lanes during the tri-county chase. He also wove between vehicles on several highways before heading northbound on the Florida Turnpike from Miami-Dade, through Broward and deep into Palm Beach County.

For awhile police kept their distance and followed with their aviation units. Nearing the Palm Beach line, a Broward Sheriff's Office vehicle joined the pursuit. An unmarked police unit was also in pursuit.

By the time BSO stopped chasing with their aviation unit and Palm Beach Police put their helicopter on the car, the driver crashed into several vehicles, and the driver crawled out of the window to lie on the ground and surrender.

The car lead police from Miami-Dade and into Palm Beach after, according to police, the driver struck a police vehicle in Miami-Dade on Southwest 104th Avenue and 34th Street and fled the scene. Police along with federal investigators confronted the man during a drug investigation. They took one man into custody at the scene, but the driver took off to kick off that chase.

The driver, who police have not identified, will face charges of assault on a police officer, among other charges.

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