BELFAST — A driver led police on a brief chase around Belfast and rammed two cruisers Tuesday morning before she crashed into a light post on Front Street.

The saga began at 7 a.m. when police were alerted by Waldo County Communications Center that a woman, whose name was not immediately available, stopped by to file a report and “appeared out of it” before driving off in a white Volvo, Sgt. Dan Fitzpatrick of Belfast Police Department said at the scene.

Later in the morning, police received a report from a Perkins Road resident that a white vehicle was driving backward at a high rate of speed. The vehicle matched the description of the white Volvo that was seen at the dispatch center, Fitzpatrick said.

The car was eventually located and pulled over in front of Belfast Police Department. However, as an officer exited his cruiser and approached the Volvo, the driver accelerated through the intersection of Main and Church streets.

Fitzpatrick said the driver then took police on an erratic trip through the city before she made it to Front Street, where officers tried to box her vehicle in using their cruisers. However, the driver rammed both cruisers before her Volvo crashed into the light pole, police said.

The driver was taken to a hospital for evaluation, as was Belfast police Officer Rick Smith who suffered unspecified injuries when his cruiser was hit.

Belfast Ambulance and Fire Department responded to the crash. Maine State Police troopers and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office are assisting with the investigation.

Charges are pending against the driver, Fitzpatrick said.


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