The driver of a car that was detected by the PSP driving in the dark on the fast lane (VR1), this Thursday morning, traveled 35 kilometers to escape the police, then entering the wrong way and crashing into a police car.
According to a witness, it all started when the car, apparently a black Opel Corsa, was traveling on the fast lane with no lights on, in Santa Cruz, in the Machico-Funchal direction, which aroused the attention of agents patrolling in that area.
It is known that the police car made a signal to force the car to stop ‘in the dark’, but the driver ignored the order of the authority agents, continuing to speed in the same direction, prompting a police pursuit.
After a general alert was given, other police vehicles joined the frenzy of sirens, thus trying to persuade the fugitive to stop, according to the video sent by a reader of the Diário, which elucidates the moment of the chase in the Quinta Grande tunnel.
After having covered approximately 35 kilometres, the driver abandoned the VR1 in Ribeira Brava, heading towards Serra de Água, but regretted it and reversed course. According to a witness report, the car entered the roundabout, then took Rua dos Dragoeiros, the road connecting to the health center in Ribeira Brava, thus going in the opposite direction. It would have been at that moment that the PSP set in motion tactical maneuvers to immobilize the fleeing vehicle.
The driver was arrested and subjected to an alcohol and drug test.
The ‘pursuit’ ended with the arrest of the driver and material damage to at least one police vehicle and the fugitive’s car.
The individual was handcuffed and transported to the police station of the Câmara de Lobos Police Division where he was reportedly subjected to a blood alcohol test and a psychotropic substance test.
For now, the defendant commits the crime of dangerous driving and disobedience.