A high-speed police pursuit late Tuesday ended with a woman pinned between her home and a vehicle and a suspect arrested after running from the scene.
- Police pursuit ends with stolen SUV crashing into New Port Richey home
- SUV crash into home pins woman between another SUV and the garage
- Police said 27-year-old Lionel Bates was driving the stolen Range Rover
The series of events started just before 8 p.m. when a New Port Richey police officer tried to stop a Range Rover with illegal window tint on Louisiana Avenue near Madison Street.
Police said the driver of the Range Rover sped off on Louisiana Avenue before making a U-turn and driving directly at a police cruiser. The Range Rover then continued east on Louisiana Avenue and crashed into in the front yard of a home at 6730 Carob Drive, striking a Toyota SUV in the driveway and pinning a woman into the garage.
She suffered non-life threatening injuries.
"All of a sudden I hear the squealing of the tires and the crash," said witness Sue Burriesci.
Drini Lamko, his wife and daughter were just about to get into their Toyota when the Range Rover crashed into their front yard and home. Lamko said his wife is recovering.
Police said 27-year-old Lionel Bates was driving the Range Rover, which was stolen. Bates then ran from the scene but was apprehended moments later.
Lamko said the stolen car was going "at least 100 mph" when it struck his SUV.
"It happened in really a matter of seconds," Lamko said. "We didn’t really even know how it come, all we know, there were police after the car they were chasing. And after that I blanked out and everything is what you see here."
Police said narcotics, handgun, ammunition and more than $1,000 was found inside the stolen Range Rover.
Bates is facing charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.