Man caught fleeing law for 3rd time

TALKEETNA — A wild chase up the Parks Highway late Saturday night ended at Mile 62 when the car in question fell apart.

Deepak Chaudhary, 24, of Anchorage was eventually jailed at the Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility on charges of first-degree failure to stop for a peace officer and reckless driving.

Wasilla police wanted to stop Chaudhary for speeding when officers spotted him blasting up the highway near Church Road in a black Acura, according to an Alaska State Trooper press statement.

But Chaudhary didn’t want to stop.

Troopers joined the chase. At Mile 52 and then again at Mile 62, troopers put out stinger strips, deflating the Acura’s two front tires.

Nevertheless, Chaudhary kept going.

Troopers report they broke off the chase, but followed at a distance with their lights and sirens switched off “in hopes the vehicle’s speed would decrease.”

At some point, troopers report, the Acura’s front end started to fall apart. But Chaudhary kept driving.

“Troopers tracked the vehicle by marks made in the pavement from the flat tires and located the vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway near Mile 97 of the Parks Highway,” according to an AST report.

But that wasn’t enough for Chaudhary. Troopers report that even though his Acura had broken down, he was still trying to move the car forward. He didn’t get far, however, owing to the complete break-down of the Acura’s drive train.

Troopers ordered Chaudhary out of the car to no effect. They then broke his windows and dragged him out. He was handed over to the Wasilla Police Department, which took him to Mat-Su Pre-Trial where he was jailed on $500 bail, according to Wasilla police. Jail records show he’s still there.

Court records show this isn’t the first time Chaudhary was taken to jail at the end of a police chase.

In June 2007, Chaudhary was picked up in Anchorage for failing to stop for a peace officer and reckless driving, a case that prosecutors dismissed in March. Another eluding arrest charge that Chaudhary picked up in Anchorage in July 2004 was also dismissed.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.