Elizabeth Murray

Free Press Staff Writer

Two people are in custody after leading Burlington police on a chase around the city and onto Interstate 89 before being arrested in Winooski on Monday evening, Chief Michael Schirling said.

Speaking about 30 minutes after the incident at 6:45 p.m., Schirling said "incredibly preliminary" information he received is that there was a short pursuit in Burlington that began after a car was operating very erratically. The vehicle struck a wall and then a cruiser before leading Burlington police to Interstate 89 from South Champlain Street.

UPDATE

After chase, driver faces attempted murder citation

Once on the interstate, the operator of the white car struck another police cruiser and lost a tire on the front driver's side of the car. The operator continued driving more slowly and took the exit into Winooski.

"The vehicle became partially disabled and was traveling at a relatively low rate of speed because it only had three tires at that point," Schirling said.

Both people were arrested after crashing their car into a tree in Winooski. No one was injured in the incident.

Schirling said indications are that both people in the car were "heavily intoxicated." No further information was immediately available about the operator or the passenger.

Witnesses who took to Twitter say the man tore through intersections marked by stop signs without stopping in the hill section of Burlington near the University of Vermont. The witnesses said the operator seemed to be driving the car at 50 to 60 mph through the city.

"Just saw white car TEAR thru stop sign in hill section of #btv, pursued by several cops," a Twitter user called "sweetsapling" wrote. "At least 50 mph, sparks flying, bottomed out."

"Insane! Just saw a car chase through #btv," Will Wiquist of Burlington posted. "BPD chasing down insane driver blowing through stop signs at 60 & trying to hide in rail yard."

Wiquist later told the Burlington Free Press that the experience was "scary" and the driver was being "really irresponsible." Wiquist said that he and his wife had been walking to dinner from Maple Street when they saw the white car drive south through a stop sign.

Wiquist said a Burlington police officer drove toward the car, which had gone into the rail yard, as he and other witnesses tried to direct the officer. Wiquist said the car then drove at a high speed back north past the police officer, running through more stop signs and accelerating to what looked like 60 or 70 mph. The car took a right onto Maple Street, blowing through the St. Paul Street intersection.

Wiquist said the car almost hit two women jogging across the street.

"A bunch of different groups on the street were like, 'What just happened?'" Wiquist recalled. "The police car turned around, and you could see it fishtailing to speed up and catch up to this person. ... It was really irresponsible and dangerous, and kind of like watching an action movie or something in a way that's not comfortable."

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LizMurraySMC.