Driver Flees During Traffic Stop, Leads Police On Car Chase In Milton

Harrisburg PA

18 April, 2022

8:38 AM

Description

By NCPA Staff, NorthCentralPA.com Apr 17, 2022 After a vehicle was pulled over for erratic movements and driving under the speed limit, the driver fled the scene and led police on a car and foot chase in Milton. The driver, Hector Manuel Rodriguez Vazquez, 27, of Northumberland was charged with multiple felonies as a result of the chase. On April 2, Trooper Dustin Spangler and Trooper Levi Eck were working the night shift and conducting a routine roving patrol on State Route 642. A sedan in front of the troopers made an "abrupt swerve" and begin to "drift back and forth within the lane of travel," and was traveling 60 mph in a 65 mph zone on PA Route 147, according to Trooper Spangler. When the vehicle, identified as a red Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, took the Industrial Park exit, Spangler activated his emergency lights and the vehicle pulled over. The driver failed to put the car in park, according to Trooper Spangler, who described the driver as making "frantic movements." Spangler approached the driver's side of the vehicle and saw the driver "trying to hide Mike's Hard Lemonade in the rear passenger area of the vehicle," according to the affidavit. Rodriguez Vazquez ignored Spangler's requests to exit the vehicle and then fled the scene. Spangler returned to his patrol car and began pursuit of the fleeing vehicle. The vehicle turned down a dirt road and then proceeded to drive the wrong way down Route 147, traveling north in the southbound lane, according to Spangler. Rodriguez Vazquez continued at a high rate of speed and eventually lost control at the intersection of Industrial Park and Sodom roads. The fleeing vehicle avoided the patrol car, headed back east on Industrial Park Road, nearly striking another vehicle. Trooper Spangler attempted a precision immobilization technique, or a PIT maneuver, to bump the vehicle's back end and force the car sideways. After making contact with the vehicle, Spangler noticed it had two flat front tires, arrest papers say. The vehicle was eventually located on Shakespeare Road on the left shoulder. Rodriguez Vazquez had fled into the woods, according to Spangler. Officers pursued Rodriguez Vazquez on foot and caught him after they deployed a stun gun, according to the affidavit. Police identified Rodriguez Vazquez by locating his drivers license inside his wallet, where they also allegedly found a large amount of money and a "small plastic baggie of marijuana," according to the affidavit. Rodriguez Vasquez was taken to Evangelical Community Hospital for medical evaluation. He received treatment, was discharged, and was taken to the station for charges. Rodriguez Vasquez was charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude officer, felony flight to avoid apprehension/trial/punish, one misdemeanor count DUI/unsafe driving, two misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, one misdemeanor recklessly endangering another person, one misdemeanor driving at safe speed, and one misdemeanor possession of marijuana. NorthcentralPa.com provides the region with reliable, relevant, and real-time news, covering weather, community news and events, crime, police activity, local, regional, and national alerts, and PennDOT-reported road construction and conditions. We report on local and regional politics, offer a platform for nonprofits to report their news and events, and share obituaries. Scanner reports let readers know what's happening outside their homes the minute it happens.