A high-speed chase led from I-95 to the parking lot of a bar in Falls Township’s Levittown section last week.
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According to the Pennsylvania State Police, at 11:57 p.m. last Monday, a trooper spotted a gray Jeep Cherokee traveling the wrong way northbound in the southbound lanes of I-95 in Bensalem Township.
The trooper switched on his vehicle’s emergency lights and sirens, but the vehicle, driven by Michael Paul Humphrey, 40, of Morrisville, did not stop, state police said.
The Jeep was clocked at speeds of 120 mph and narrowly avoided a head-on collision as it swerved across lanes, state police said.
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State police said the trooper who was trailing Humphrey came to believe the 40-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance before the pursuit was terminated near the Bristol Exit for the safety of other motorists.
The pursuit resumed in Bristol Township when a Philadelphia-based trooper attempted to stop Humphrey in the area of Airport Road and Green Lane using a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT), which temporarily disabled the vehicle. However, Humphrey managed to regain control and continued fleeing, state police said.
A second PIT maneuver was attempted on Route 13 northbound in Bristol Township, but Humphrey managed to drive away, state police said.
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The chase continued through Bristol and Falls townships before again being called off, state police said.
A short time later, the Falls Township Police Department successfully deployed spike strips on Mill Creek Parkway near Port Lane, forcing Humphrey to pull into the parking lot of the closed Pasquale’s Sports Bar in Levittown.
In the parking lot, police from several municipalities and the state police were on the scene.
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State police said Humphrey refused to leave his Jeep and law enforcement used a baton to break the vehicle’s rear windows to reach Humphrey, who refused to exit and climbed into the trunk of the vehicle.
A taser was used to subdue and apprehend him as he was pulled from the Jeep, state police said.
Following his arrest, Humphrey was transported to Lower Bucks Hospital for evaluation and a blood sample, which was sent off for chemical testing.
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Humphrey was later cleared medically and taken to the state police barracks in Bensalem Township for booking, troopers said.
Humphrey was charged with two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police, and single counts of DUI, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, driving the wrong way, careless driving, and additional traffic-related offenses. He was preliminarily arraigned before on-call District Judge Gary Gambardella and held on 10 percent of $500,000.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
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