Troopers arrest 14-year-old suspected of DUI following chase, crash
Jul 3, 2013, 5:11 PM | Updated: 5:24 pm
A 14-year-old boy is in custody for DUI after leading a State Patrol trooper on a high-speed chase in Bellingham Wednesday in this 2009 Pontiac that crashed into cars in an apartment complex. (Trooper Keith Leary/WSP image)
(Trooper Keith Leary/WSP image)
The Washington State Patrol is used to pulling over drunk drivers. But a chase and arrest early Wednesday morning in Bellingham was far from the usual.
Troopers took a 14-year-old boy suspected of DUI into custody after a short chase and crash at about 6:40 a.m., Trooper Keith Leary said.
“A trooper saw a vehicle weaving back and forth in its lane and driving about 20 mph under the speed limit. The car was going 30 mph in a posted 50 zone,” Leary said.
When the trooper turned on his lights, the car sped up. “The speeds got up to 60 mph,” Leary said.
The teen ultimately veered into an apartment complex parking lot, smashing into three cars, then hitting another before crashing into a curb.
The underage driver wasn’t alone. Two 12-year-olds, a 15-year-old and a 53-year-old man were also in the car. All but one 12-year-old was “extremely intoxicated,” Leary said.
The 14-year-old was booked into juvenile detention for suspicion of DUI, eluding and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission.
The 15-year-old was taken to St. Joseph hospital for alcohol observation, Leary said.
The incident remains under investigation. “We’re still trying to put all the pieces together,” Leary said. “We’re very thankful no one was injured in this.”
