A Mobile woman has been arrested and charged with attempting to elude police after leading officers on a high-speed chase that ended when her vehicle’s tire came off the rim.
According to a Mobile Police Department news release, officers spotted a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on the Airport Boulevard service road near Bel Air Boulevard just before 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to pull over and instead accelerated, leading police on a chase through the area. The pursuit ended on Highway 45 near Thomas Avenue after the vehicle’s tire separated from the rim, disabling the car.
At that point, the driver got out of the vehicle and attempted to run from officers on foot, but she was quickly caught, according to police.
The driver was identified as 47-year-old Ytesha English of Mobile. She was arrested and charged with attempting to elude, a charge commonly filed when a driver knowingly fails to stop for law enforcement and flees. English was subsequently transported to Mobile Metro Jail to be booked on the charge.
High-speed pursuits like this one pose risks not only to the fleeing driver but to officers and other motorists in the area, and police departments generally weigh those risks when deciding whether to continue a chase. In this case, the pursuit ended after the vehicle became inoperable rather than through a voluntary stop.
It was not immediately clear why English initially failed to stop for officers or whether additional charges may be added as the investigation continues.