Vanishing act

I'm driving on a stretch of highway one evening in my marked patrol car and all of the sudden, there is a SUV right on my tail. He whips into the left lane cutting between me and the vehicle that was in the right lane barely a car length back. I braced myself thinking he was going to plow into me, but thankfully he did not. He then darts ahead and cuts off the car that had been in front of me. I am trying to get caught up to him and get my lights activated and then the race is on. He is all over the road and into the median, speeding up to about 80 mph, then dropping to 40 mph. I was so glad that there was hardly anyone else on the road. I had got on the radio to advise of the pursuit and two other units got set up a couple miles ahead with spike strips and were waiting for him. We get up to the spike strips and thankfully he hit them. He kept going for a little bit while the air deflated and then he bailed off into the ditch just as we were about to get up to him and pin him in. We all hop out and get the driver into custody and haul him to my car where I begin to interview him.

He reeks of alcohol and has a hard time walking or talking. He begins to tell me that his brother told him to run from us or he would stab him. I asked where his brother was and he said he was at a house about 20 mile away. I verify with the other officers that there was no one else in the car when we got it stopped. I ask him how his brother was going to be able to stab him so far away and how his brother even knew we were pursuing him. He then told me that his brother had been with him in the vehicle up until the time we spiked the vehicle. I told him there was no one else in the vehicle and no one had run from the vehicle. His explanation was that his brother just vanished out of the car when we spiked it. He was all over the place with his explanation of what was going on.

We get him to a station to process him for the DUI and he begins the usual drunken highs and lows. One minute he is calm and cool, then yelling and screaming. He was upset with his brother and friend for setting him up and making him drive and run from us. He would then calm down and talk about what a great brother he had. He was only 19 yrs old and had already had convictions for minor consumption of alcohol. He will be one that we see on a regular basis for alcohol related calls.