A New York man was charged after police say he led them on two separate pursuits Monday in Carbon County that ended with a state police vehicle hitting three other vehicles.
State police at Lehighton said they first tried to pull over Christopher Diaz, 35, around 10:11 a.m. in Franklin Township for weaving across the road and other vehicle code violations. Diaz did not stop and police pursued him, according to a news release.
The pursuit eventually made its way near Jim Thorpe but was ended out of concern for safety, police said. However, around 10:45 a.m. a trooper spotted Diaz’s vehicle and again attempted to stop it.
Diaz once again did not stop and took off at a high rate of speed, passing vehicles in a no passing zone, police said. Eventually state police placed spike strips in the road, which Diaz then ran over, but he continued to travel. A pursuing state trooper then tried to avoid the spike strips but lost control of his vehicle and hit three stopped vehicles. The occupants of those vehicles were evaluated and no major injuries were reported, police said.
Diaz’s vehicle soon became disabled from the spike strips, and he was taken into custody, police said.
He was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving under the influence, and multiple vehicle code violations. He was arraigned and sent to Carbon County Correctional Facility.
