SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man admitted to police that he was drinking when officers had to force him out of his van after he refused to stop for officers who were attempting to pull him over.

Edward A. Evans, 54, faces seven charges, including aggravated driving while intoxicated and felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation for his Jan. 10 arrest.

A newly-obtained police report provides the following account:

Officers David Hart and Erin Clayton spotted a white van run a stop sign at the intersection of Court and Park streets around 11:22 p.m. that night.

The two officers, in an unmarked patrol vehicle, pulled behind the van in the 1500 block of Park Street and turned on the vehicle's flashing lights, but the driver, later identified as Evans, did not stop.

The white 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 van slowly pulled up to the intersection of Bear and Park Streets, signaled to turn right, came to a complete stop and turned onto Bear Street. Evans stopped at two other stop signs on Bear Street and frequently looked back at the officers in his driver's side mirror, Hart wrote in the report.

Evans then pulled to the intersection of Bear Street and Grant Boulevard, where again he came to a complete stop and signaled to turn. He subsequently made proper stops and signals at two more intersections before pulling into a residential driveway on Pennsylvania Avenue, all while the officers had their sirens on to pull him over.

The officers ordered Evans out of the van. Evans opened the door, but refused to exit. Hart then pulled Evans out of the van by his coat and brought him to the ground. Another officer, David Craw, had arrived at the scene to assist placing Evans into custody.

Evans smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech and bloodshot eyes and spoke in broken sentences, Hart wrote in the report. A bottle of alcohol and a drinking glass were found on the floor inside the van.

When asked why he refused to pull over, Evans told the officers "because I've been drinkin'."

Evans was charged with including aggravated driving while intoxicated, felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, driving while intoxicated, refusal to take a breath test, failure to comply with a lawful order, parking a motor vehicle outside a designated area and running a stop sign.

He was arraigned in City Court and has since been released from the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Contact Jacob Pucci anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-766-6747