By Michael Bushnell
Northeast News
Oct. 13, 2010

Vehicle chases were the order of the day Friday afternoon when in two separate incidents, subjects attempted in vain to elude police.

In one incident that involved eight to 10 police vehicles in pursuit of a fleeing suspect, a woman had summoned officers to St. John and Hardesty avenues at about 3 p.m. on a child custody dispute involving a 3-year-old girl. While officers were questioning the woman about the situation, the child’s father drove by the scene in a green, early 1990s Mercury with no tags. Officers tried to wave the man down, and he then began to flee at a high rate of speed.

Sgt. Brain Karmen said no police cars were behind the man, but he was being observed from the police helicopter, which had responded to an earlier call in the area. The man, according to police, began to drive erratically and was speeding down side streets, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians and children who had just been released from nearby James Elementary School. A chase was authorized after the man sideswiped a parked vehicle.

The man ran his car in to a tree in the 100 block of North Oakley, where police apprehended and transported him to East Patrol for suspicion of DUI, fleeing and other charges.

The 3-year-old child in question was in the back seat of the fleeing vehicle during the entire chase. According to witnesses, the child was wearing a seat belt and was treated at the scene for minor injuries. The mother of the child, who lives in a house near the crash site, denied comment on the situation.

In the second car chase of Friday afternoon, a woman fled from a parking lot near St. John and Lawndale avenues and was apprehended in a nearby alley.