A Far Rockaway man will be arraigned Thursday after leading police on a high-speed chase across two counties along the Long Island Expressway before crashing into a Suffolk County police car and a tractor-trailer, according to police.
David C. Thompson, 32, was charged with driving while intoxicated, unlawful fleeing of a police officer, reckless driving, and speeding. He was arrested on the service road of the LIE near Exit 43, after the crash.
Police said the incident started around 11:56 p.m. in Hauppauge, where a Suffolk County police highway patrol officer was running speed enforcement. A radar clocked Thompson traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph as he drove westbound on the LIE near Route 111.
The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Thompson refused to pull over and continued traveling westbound on the expressway, said police. Additional units were called in to assist in the pursuit and police said Thompson made it more than 15 miles, crossing into Nassau County, before being halted by a construction zone that had the LIE closed.
As he approached the road closure, police said Thompson went onto the highway’s service road, which was congested with traffic. He then attempted to re-enter the closed expressway near South Oyster Bay Road, striking a Suffolk County police patrol vehicle and an 18-wheel truck, authorities said.
He was arrested at the crash site and brought back to Suffolk County to await arraignment. According to police, Thompson suffered minor injuries to his hand as a result of the crash. The police officer and truck driver were not injured.
Thompson was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip. As of this writing, details from the arraignment were not immediately available.
Comments