A CASE of road rage, a police car chase, and being caught with a toddler not in a child restraint has led a 31-year-old man to face several charges in Superior Court for the alleged offenses.
Joseph Lee Pugh was arrested after an incident that occurred Tuesday where he allegedly struck an off-duty police officer’s vehicle, evaded police, and was later found with a minor child standing in the passenger seat of the vehicle he was driving.
The incident began when an off-duty police officer driving towards Latte Heights encountered Pugh in a red vehicle, approaching at a high rate of speed from the opposite direction and allegedly encroaching into the officer’s lane.
After an exchange on the roadway, Pugh turned around to accelerate towards the off-duty officer and allegedly sideswiped the officer’s vehicle.
“The red vehicle struck the officer’s Toyota Tacoma on the driver side door causing damage to the door and thereafter continued to drive away up Macheche hill,” court documents stated.
Pugh allegedly stopped the red vehicle briefly near the entrance to Las Palmas, stepped out, and “gestured towards the officer as if he wanted to fight,” court documents added. He re-entered his vehicle and drove away.
The officer then dispatched a description of Pugh’s vehicle and Pugh was located less than 10 minutes later on Route 15 by Guam Raceway Park.
Despite a police officer activating his pursuit lights and sirens, Pugh allegedly refused to pull over and instead made several left and right turns on different streets, turned onto the Mobil-McDonald’s parking lot, and drove through the carwash station and back on to Route 1, court documents indicated.
Pugh eventually pulled over and was observed with a toddler standing in the passenger seat.
Pugh faces misdemeanor charges of assault; eluding a police officer; child abuse; reckless driving; and leaving the scene of an accident. He was charged yesterday in Superior Court.
Man arrested after car chase, found with unrestrained child
- Friday, 10 Aug 2012 03:30am
- BY GERALDINE CASTILLO | VARIETY NEWS STAFF
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