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Officers pursue man after suspicious Gilbert Walmart incident

Smart Car Pursuit
Smart Car Pursuit
Posted at 10:07 AM, Apr 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-23 01:37:39-04

GILBERT, AZ — The driver of a Smart Car that led officers on a pursuit this morning is in custody.

Officials pursued the driver on Valley freeways from the southeast to far west Valley Wednesday morning.

The pursuit eventually came to a stop on Interstate 10 near Watson Road.

A spokesperson with the Arizona Department of Public Safety say they assisted Gilbert police in making an attempt to stop the vehicle driven by 40-year-old Binh Thien Nguyen.

Gilbert police say the incident started as a “suspicious person” call at a Walmart, involving a man who was screaming and yelling.

Nguyen refused to speak to officers, walked away and got into his car.

Officers tried to pull him over multiple times, but he refused to stop, ran numerous lights and continued onto the freeway where DPS started assisting.

Aerial video followed a gray Smart car as it continued into the far west Valley.

DPS was eventually able to use spike strips on the vehicle and then a pit maneuver to get Nguyen to stop.

DPS says Nguyen faces charges for unlawful flight from law enforcement, DUI, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal damage. Additional charges may also come from Gilbert police.