EVERETT, Wash. — The driver of a U-Haul van led officers on a high-speed chase spanning three counties overnight.
At around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, Lummi Nation police in Whatcom County tried to stop a driver suspected of DUI.
The driver fled south on Interstate 5, with the van’s occupants tossing out a bong at one point, according to Trooper Jacob Kennett.
Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies joined the chase though Whatcom County. State troopers joined the chase as it went into Skagit County, with speeds reaching 100 mph.
At one point, several spike strips were put on the road but the driver evaded them.
At Smokey Point in Snohomish County, the driver exited I-5 and then got back on the freeway heading south in the northbound lanes for about 4 miles. The driver exited and then got back onto the freeway again in the southbound lanes, where they avoided more spike strips, Kennett said.
The driver finally stopped in the middle of I-5 and was taken into custody by troopers at the scene, along with a passenger who was later released. Video from a Washington State Department of Transportation camera showed the driver stop the van, get out, and then walk backward toward troopers with their hands raised.
Troopers transported the driver to Bellingham to be evaluated at a hospital.
The suspect was later turned over to Whatcom County deputies and taken to jail on DUI and felony eluding.
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