A Madison teenager fled from pursuing deputies at speeds of more than 130 miles per hour on April 11 before his attempt to elude the law ended in a ditch.
Marcus Daniel Lee, 18, now faces a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and reckless driving.
According to reports, Deputy Samuel Hutto was sitting near I-20 milepost 109 at 2:30 a.m. when he saw an older-model Honda Civic pass by at more than 90 miles per hour. The driver, later identified as Lee, deactivated his headlights, and Hutto pursued.
According to Hutto’s account, he heard the Honda accelerate as it passed him.
Lee continued to flee with his headlights off while weaving in and out of traffic. The Honda left the interstate at Exit 113 but got right back on the interstate.
Deputy Will Smith then became the lead pursuit unit, as he had been stationed at the top of the ramp on Monticello Road in case Lee tried to get off I-20. Lee continued to flee at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour and left the interstate again at Exit 114. He ran the red light at the intersection of I-20 and Eatonton Road at 75 miles per hour before getting back on the interstate once again.
According to Smith, the pursuit continued at speeds between 115 and 130 miles per hour as Smith maneuvered to overtake Lee and slow him down from in front.
Lee swerved sharply onto the Seven Islands Road exit at more than 100 miles per hour and left I-20 for a third time. But Lee would not get back on the interstate because he lost control of the Honda and crashed into a ditch.
Smith and Hutto converged on Lee’s vehicle with guns drawn, but Lee seemed set on continuing the chase as he tried to find a way to climb out of the ditch.
Lee ignored commands to exit the vehicle and show deputies his hands as he drove forward and reversed in an effort to climb out of the mud. Eventually, he drove into a large hole full of water, from which he could not extricate himself.
According to the report, a passenger in the Honda was yelling at Lee and waving his hands in an apparent attempt to get him to surrender to deputies.
Finally, Lee shut down the Honda.
Extricating the driver and passenger was complicated by slick mud and deep water surrounding the Honda. Still, deputies were finally able to get Lee and his passenger out of the car.
Hutto transported Lee to the Morgan County jail, and Smith took the passenger home.
No injuries were reported.