The chase went through seven Hampshire County communities before ending on a Southampton lawn.
SOUTHAMPTON -- A police chase that started late Tuesday night in South Hadley and ultimately traveled through seven other Hampshire County communities ended in town shortly after midnight in a long blaze of sparks that stretched from Easthampton's downtown rotary to somebody’s lawn on Route 10.
The sparks flew after the 23-year-old suspect hit a pair of stop sticks, placed by police in the area of the rotary, that shredded his tires. He then continued west into Southampton on his rims, Easthampton Police officer Chad Alexander said.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
South Hadley Police Chief David LaBrie said the chase started in his town after an officer spotted the suspect, Southampton resident Thomas Pitoniak, pull into town from Veteran’s Bridge in the Falls neighborhood and make a sharp left turn onto Main Street.
The suspect’s 2002 Kia Optima turned so sharply that it went into the opposing lane on Main Street, prompting the officer to suspect that the driver was impaired, LaBrie said.
The officer attempted to pull Pitoniak over. Instead, Pitoniak continued onto Route 202. What LaBrie described as a “medium-speed” police chase ensued, with speeds approaching 65 to 70 mph.
Pitoniak was ultimately pursued by police through Granby, Belchertown, Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, Easthampton and Southampton, LaBrie said.
The initial South Hadley officer pursued Pitoniak all the way to Easthampton where he also hit one of the stop sticks and flattened two of the tires on his cruiser, LaBrie said.
Alexander said Easthampton police deployed the stop sticks after hearing that the suspect, who entered town via Florence Road from Northampton, took a right onto Route 10 and was heading their way at about 50 mph.
“That slowed his speeds way down,” said Alexander of the post-speed sticks portion the chase.
LaBrie said the chase ended on a Southampton lawn, which he believed was a short distance away from the Easthampton line.
South Hadley police charged the suspect, who lives at 2 Karen Lane in Southampton, with operating with a revoked license, operating with a revoked registration, failure to stop for police, speeding, running a red light and a marked lanes violation.
Easthampton police charged the suspect with operating with a suspended license, operating with a revoked registration, negligent operation, driving an uninsured motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, a marked lanes violation and speeding.
LaBrie did not know if additional charges are pending in any other communities.
Pitoniak was slated to be arraigned Wednesday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.
LaBrie declined to identify the officer who initially gave chase to Pitoniak. He said, however, it's not unheard of for a police officer to unintentionally run over stop sticks during a chase.
“It does happen on occasion from what I understand,” LaBrie said.