60-mile car chase ends in dramatic crash near Phoenix

TEMPE, Ariz. – A police pursuit lasting 60 miles on metro Phoenix freeways ended Wednesday when the sports utility vehicle chased by state troopers accelerated through an intersection near Arizona State University’s main campus and smashed into another vehicle.

The SUV rolled over and 31-year-old Mitchell Timothy Taebel was arrested at gunpoint after he got out of the vehicle, waved his arms and yelled at bystanders, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a statement. He suffered minor injuries from the wreck.

Taebel has a California driver’s license and an extensive criminal record in multiple states, although details weren’t immediately available, the department said. It was unclear if he has a lawyer yet.

A 47-year-old woman driving the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening, authorities said.

The chase started around 10 a.m. west of Phoenix when a trooper tried to stop the SUV that Taebel was driving.