East Washington man accused of leading city police on lengthy chase
An East Washington man is accused of leading Washington police on a lengthy chase through the city over the weekend that eventually led to him driving the wrong way on the interstate before officers later boxed him in with their police cars.
City police said they witnessed Andrew Eran Harmor run a red light on Jefferson Avenue at Third Street shortly before midnight Saturday, prompting officers to begin pursuing him after he refused to stop his vehicle.
Harmor’s vehicle then briefly stopped at a green light in the 800 block of Jefferson Avenue before continuing on and turning onto East Wylie Avenue, where he allegedly ran another red light at Allison Avenue and turned onto the on-ramp heading west on Interstate 70, police wrote in court documents.
After Harmor entered the interstate, police said they decided to stop pursuing his vehicle over safety concerns, but his car then struck a guardrail and crossed the grassy median and drove into opposite lanes, traveling west in the eastbound lanes, according to court documents. The pursuing police officers remained in the westbound lanes and watched as Harmor’s vehicle then traveled back across the grassy median and into the correct direction of traffic, charging papers indicated.
Harmor eventually exited at the Chestnut Street interchange as his car’s tires were worn down to the rims with sparks jettisoning from behind the vehicle.
Police said the vehicle traveled east on West Chestnut Street heading back toward the city, but stopped at a red light near the entrance to the former Washington Crown Center mall, where officers got out of their vehicles and pointed their guns at the car. But police said Harmor continued driving when the light turned green and then ran another red light before pulling into a parking lot in the 1100 block of West Chestnut Street back in the city, where officers boxed his vehicle in and ordered him to get out of his car as they had their guns drawn.
Harmor exited the vehicle with his hands up and was arrested “without further incident,” police wrote in court documents.
Harmor, 40, was arraigned Sunday morning by District Judge John Bruner on charges of fleeing police, reckless endangerment and driving under the influence, along with several traffic citations. He is being held at the Washington County jail on $100,000 bond while he awaits his preliminary hearing, which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 10 at 10:45 a.m. before District Judge Kelly Stewart.