A Massachusetts man is facing multiple charges after leading police on a high-speed car chase at speeds up to 130 mph on Interstate 93 in New Hampshire on Thursday night.
New Hampshire State Police said one of their troopers observed a vehicle traveling at 109 mph and swerving erratically on I-93 north in Bow around 10:23 p.m. Thursday. The trooper attempted to stop the vehicle as it took the ramp to Interstate 89, but the vehicle wouldn't stop, instead increasing its speed to 130 mph.
The trooper did not continue to pursue the vehicle, but noted that it took Exit 2 into Concord, where they lost sight of it.
Another trooper who was just leaving the Concord state police barracks saw a vehicle stop on the side of the road by the barracks and shut its lights off. The trooper realized it matched the description of the vehicle that had just fled, but as soon as the driver saw the trooper, he started driving again. He started to turn into the parking lot of the state police barracks before realizing where he was, at which point he turned back out of the parking lot and fled once again.
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State police began to chase the vehicle, which continued to operate erratically and at varying speeds as it attempted to elude state police, twice crossing a median. The vehicle eventually struck a concrete curb on Manchester Street in Concord and crashed on the Merrimack River Bridge, where the driver was taken into custody.
The driver, identified by police as Gabriel Lima, 24, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries. He is charged with three counts of aggravated driving under the influence; two counts of reckless conduct; two counts of crossing a median; one count of disobeying an officer; and one count of operating without a license, subsequent offense.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Trooper John Zavala at 603-223-8785 or email him at John.A.Zavala@dos.nh.gov.
