What started out as a slow-speed freeway pursuit quickly turned into an hour long 60-mile high-speed police chase that ended with a head-on collision at a busy intersection in Tempe sending 1 innocent driver to the hospital Wednesday morning, Jan. 23rd. The incident occurred in the Far West Valley around 10 a.m. when Department of Public Safety troopers began following the suspect's vehicle along on State Route (SR-) 85. DPS troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop of the suspect’s vehicle a red SUV for a moving-traffic violation. The suspect, later identified as 31-year old Mitchell Timothy Taebel, failed to stop and continued traveling north on SR-85 toward Interstate (I-) 10.
DPS troopers tried to disable the SUV by laying down spike strips or “stop sticks” but Taebel was able to easily maneuver around them. Taebel continued on I-10 traveling eastbound towards Phoenix and upon reaching 59th Street DPS troopers were ordered to back off and let air units track the SUV. Several unmarked patrol vehicles continued to follow the SUV from a distance. Taebel made his way eastward to the Loop 202 connection into Tempe where he exited at Scottsdale Road and traveled south which turns into Rural Road alongside ASU's main campus. When Taebel came to a stop at Rio Salado Parkway, authorities attempted to box in his SUV. "The suspect veered to the right and rammed one of our patrol cars, and then continued southbound at a high rate of speed,'' said DPS Sgt. Lee. As Taebel approached the intersection of Spence Avenue and Rural Road, he accelerated reaching speeds of up to 65 mph not before he sideswiped a white SUV and lost control of his vehicle colliding head-on into a black SUV. The red SUV continued south for a short distance before coming to a stop. Taebel , who miraculously survived the crash unscathed, was taken into custody. The driver of the black SUV, a 47-year old woman, was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries but suffered a broken hand and foot. She is expected to survive.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto collision, Accident Lawyer Arizona strongly encourages you to call our car accident professionals at (877) 791-4777 for a free consultation. Our highly skilled and experienced lawyers will provide you with the best legal representation and guidance that you need. Our offices are conveniently located in the Phoenix Metropolitan area and we conduct regular travels in the state to meet with clients. Reach out to us directly to speak with a car accident lawyers whenever you need one!
