LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A 32-year-old man is in custody after a dangerous multi-county chase along I-75 involving a stolen vehicle Thursday morning.
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said officers in London attempted to stop a stolen vehicle registered out of Ohio, which had already fled from a stop attempt in Madison County.
The suspect failed to stop again and headed southbound on I-75. Near Exit 29, police deployed spike strips, successfully flattening some of the vehicle’s tires. Authorities then tried a rolling roadblock, but the driver rammed a patrol vehicle multiple times from behind, according to a press release.
Spike strips were used a second time near Exit 15, again deflating tires, but the suspect continued driving on the rims, hitting median cable barriers repeatedly. The driver intentionally rammed another patrol car during the chase.
The pursuit ended near Exit 11 in Williamsburg when the vehicle went airborne in front of traffic and came to a stop in a grassy area. When officers attempted to arrest the driver, identified as 32-year-old Ameer Faraj Salti from Tampa, Florida, he resisted and struggled before being taken into custody around 9 a.m.
Salti faces multiple charges including receiving stolen property valued at $10,000 or more, first-degree fleeing and evading police, four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for endangering officers, resisting arrest, and other traffic violations.
He is currently booked in the Laurel County Correctional Center.
