A Florence man was arrested after a high speed chase that ended in a collision on Oct. 18.
An officer with the Florence Police Department witnessed a 2004 Chevy Silverado run a stop sign at the intersection of Courtney and Decatur Avenues. The officer performed a traffic stop and observed signs of impairment while speaking to the driver, according to police.
While at the stop, conducted at Decatur Avenue and Hermitage Drive, the driver, Michael Taylor, returned to his vehicle and fled the scene. Taylor almost hit two officers as he drove away, police said.
Police said the pursuit followed Taylor “south on Helton Drive into Colbert County” and “continued south on Wilson Dam Road with speeds exceeding 100 MPH.” Taylor collided with a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer, then hit a culvert. This caused his vehicle to roll over “several times.” Officers pulled Taylor from the vehicle as it “began to smoke and caught fire.”
Taylor was treated and released at North Alabama Medical Center; no one else was injured. He was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted assault of the second-degree, attempting to elude, or flee, from an officer and DUI. Taylor was released after posting a bond of $10,500.
