A Google Street View car driver led police on a 100 mph chase then crashed into a ditch after refusing to stop, officers say
- A Google Street View car driver led police on a 100 mph chase through a small town in Indiana.
- The driver swerved to avoid a closed-off bridge, crashing into a creek ditch, police said.
The driver of a Google Street View car led police on a 100 miles-per-hour chase and then crashed into a ditch after refusing to stop, officers said.
The Middletown Police Department in Indiana said in a press release this week that one of its officers saw the Google Street View car speeding and passing other drivers in the small rural town — clocking its speed at it 100 miles per hour.
The car, which Google said was driven by someone from a contracted company, had several 360-degree cameras on a tall antenna mounted on top of the car. Street View uses cars use to take pictures of neighborhoods around the world.
According to the Middletown Police Department's press release, Chief Landon J. Dean saw that the Google vehicle "refused to stop," so he chased it for several miles, eventually catching up to the car's high speed.
But the Google driver kept going, running a red light before coming to a closed-off bridge, the press release said. The driver tried to turn to avoid the bridge but lost control of the vehicle, crashing through a yard and into a creek where it got stuck, police said.
Police then arrested the driver, who told officers he "was scared to stop," according to the statement.
The driver was taken to the hospital, where he was cleared, and brought to the Henry County Jail, the police department said in the statement. Police said the man is facing one felony count of resisting law enforcement.
Google said in a statement to Insider, "We partner with contractors to drive and collect imagery. We take the safety of our Street View operations very seriously, and we're committed to working with the contracted company and local authorities to ensure the proper actions are taken to address this situation."