A Brooklyn man is heading to prison for a police pursuit that turned parts of New Jersey into a high-speed chase scene. According to News 12, he will spend five years behind bars after admitting to his role in the wild chase, bringing to a close a case that began with a stolen cab and ended in a violent crash.
The episode started in New York City. Prosecutors say the man, identified as Ashton Charles, stole a New York City taxi last year, taking the vehicle before the situation escalated into a pursuit that would carry across state lines and draw a heavy police response.
From there, the chase unfolded at dangerous speeds. According to prosecutors, Charles led police on a high-speed pursuit through New Jersey, a chase that stretched on before finally coming to an end in Somerville, where the pursuit reached its chaotic conclusion.
That conclusion came with a crash. Prosecutors say the pursuit ended when Charles crashed into several police vehicles in Somerville, a collision that abruptly halted the chase but not before it had put officers and others in harm's way.
The toll of the crash was significant. According to News 12, five people were hurt as a result of the chase and the collision that ended it, underscoring the danger posed by the high-speed flight through the area before it was finally brought to a stop.
With his guilty plea now behind him, Charles faces the consequences laid out by the court. The five-year prison sentence closes the book on a case that saw a stolen New York City taxi become the centerpiece of a destructive, multi-vehicle police pursuit that ended in Somerville with several people injured.