Mitchell Taebel, arrested in Phoenix-area police chase, is self-described 'constitutionalist' who fought conviction

A 31-year-old man suspected of leading officers on a police chase that crisscrossed Phoenix-area freeways and ended in a head-on crash Wednesday morning has "anti-government views," officials said Wednesday.

Troopers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety took Mitchell Timothy Taebel into custody following the crash that sent one woman to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries near the Arizona State University Tempe campus, officials said.

READ MORE: Police chase ends in violent crash in Tempe

A statement released later in the day by DPS said that the agency was "aware that Mr. Taebel has anti-government views."

Taebel's personal website states that the U.S. Department of Justice is "unconstitutional" and links to an Indiana court record from earlier this month showing that Taebel sued the government for prohibiting marijuana use.

The document deemed marijuana prohibition unconstitutional.

In a Jan. 5 Facebook post, Taebel asked his followers if they would be interested in joining his effort to sue the government for a wrongful prohibition of cannabis.

Since the Wednesday incident, Taebel's Facebook page, which says he lives in Los Angeles, has been flooded with angry comments about Taebel's involvement in Wednesday's crash as described by the state Department of Public Safety.

Phoenix television-news footage showed a vehicle, which DPS says he was driving, crash head on with another car near Rural Road and Apache Boulevard.

Taebel's website also linked to a November 2017 letter he addressed to all United States governors which states that the Department of Justice is unconstitutional. He describes himself as a "constitutionalist'' on the site, along with many other descriptions, including actor.

He cited the 10th Amendment as the basis for his DOJ claim, which says that powers not explicitly discussed in the Constitution as that of the federal government are reserved for the states or people.

Taebel also addressed a Nov. 7, 2017, letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, where he wrote that "the time has come to revolutionize societal standards of law enforcement."

He called for all law-enforcement officers to wear cameras and record every arrest and for all judicial systems to make audio recordings of hearings and trials available to the public.

Taebel wrote that implementing the measures would "give incentive to resolve situations professionally," adding that the expense would be "minimal" with available technology.

He also wrote that there should be "no privacy arguments heard by officials working in the interest of the public while on duty."

Taebel's Youtube channel references his career as an aspiring actor and includes demo reels of him acting in various roles, including that of a game-show host.

Other videos document Taebel's fishing escapades and describe his political views.

Court documents on Taebel's website describe several lawsuits both filed by and against him.

One of the records was a complaint filed by Taebel against the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office saying that he was pulled over by officers without probable cause.

Another record features a December 2017 letter written by Taebel to Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval with a complaint that officers used "excessive ... and entirely unnecessary force" while arresting him on an assault charge in Las Vegas.

Taebel also posted documents appealing an assault conviction levied against him for punching a doorman at a New York City apartment building in 2011.

Taebel said he punched Frank Martoni in self-defense after Martoni blocked him from entering an elevator and saying Taebel did not have permission to be in the building.

Taebel was staying with his girlfriend, Raquel Toro, at the time of the incident, according to documents he posted. Toro wrote an affidavit to the court saying she had received written permission from building management for Taebel to stay in the apartment.

Toro urged prosecutors to throw out the case against Taebel.

Court papers that Taebel filed earlier in December 2017 in the U.S. District Court of Arizona alleged that he was denied an application for an apartment in Arizona on the basis of his previous charges; he asked for $500 million in damages.