Fleeing driver runs over spike strips, crashes into Fresno County canal before booking

A male driver and a female passenger were detained by officers early Monday after a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of 100 mph and ended when the Toyota Camry plunged into a canal.

The driver was arrested on DUI charges, said sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti.

Botti said a deputy first attempted to stop the car on suspicion of DUI near Adams Avenue and Highway 99. The driver sped east on Manning Avenue and evaded his pursuer at Manning and Academy avenues.

Another deputy located the car at Academy and Dinuba avenues, but lost the car again during a 100-mph chase at Mendocino and Mountain View avenues, when the driver turned off his lights, Botti said.

The driver lost control of his car when driving over a spike strip set up by a Kingsburg police officer and crashed into the canal near Avenue 392 and Road 16.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter located the pair near Highway 99 and officers released a K-9 dog to subdue the man. Both were taken to a hospital before the man was booked on the DUI charges. The woman was not charged.