Everyone with a driver’s license and half a brain knows how deadly police pursuits can be. One Milwaukee man apparently didn’t get the memo, because he smashed through a fence while fleeing at over 100 miles per hour and plunged off an overpass in August. The West Allis Police Department released dashcam footage of the dramatic wreck last week. The man climbed out of the destroyed car on the highway below and was immediately tased.
An officer attempted to pull Eduardo Gomez-Peralta over, allegedly for speeding. The 24-year-old then reportedly ignored the lights and sirens, choosing to accelerate, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Gomez-Peralta hurtled down city streets at over 100 mph, easily exceeding the posted 35-mph speed limit. Any idiot can mash the throttle and go fast, but roads don’t go on in a straight line forever.
Gomez-Peralta pulled onto an off-ramp at West Lincoln Avenue and attempted to turn east down the avenue. However, he lost control of the car. The sedan hit the overpass wall, tumbled through the safety fence and fell back onto the interstate 25 feet below. Gomez-Peralta and his passenger were both roughly restrained by police and taken into custody. The driver admitted to drinking six beers and smoking marijuana, but blood test results have yet to be released.
Gomez-Peralta is facing charges of fleeing an officer resulting in great bodily harm, second-degree recklessly endangering safety and operating while intoxicated causing an injury. One of the pursuing officers somehow fractured several vertebrae during the chase. The 24-year-old could face up to 25 years in prison, a $75,000 fine, and a three-year license suspension.