According to court filings, a woman was convinced to terminate a standoff with Utah Highway Patrol after calling her auto insurance company for roadside assistance to repair a spiked tyre during a high-speed pursuit on Wednesday.
Annamae Cabalsa Martinez, 45, was arrested and charged with felony failing to comply to an officer’s signal to stop and misdemeanour reckless driving.
The incident began just before 5:30 p.m. on April 9, when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper observed a car, reportedly driven by Martinez, travelling at 120 mph on I-70. The trooper reported attempting to stop the automobile, reaching speeds of 130 mph to catch up.
When the trooper caught up, Martinez allegedly accelerated and continued at speeds of 120 to 130 mph. The initial attempt to spike her tires was reportedly unsuccessful, but the second attempt caused her car to come to a stop.
“Traffic was shut down and a high-risk stop was performed with multiple troopers. The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle failed to obey any commands to exit the vehicle or roll down the window,” the arresting trooper wrote in his probable cause statement. “I tried multiple times to get Martinez to roll down a window or exit the vehicle while yelling as loud as I could. A PA speaker was also used to try and get Martinez to obey our commands, which she refused.”
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, this lasted 40 minutes, during which Martinez allegedly called AAA to have her tyre replaced. The AAA person reportedly linked Martinez to dispatch, who then connected her to the trooper’s phone.
Martinez was securely taken into custody by a Highway Patrol trooper and put into Emery County Jail for the aforementioned crimes. She has been ordered to be kept without bond pending a pretrial hearing, according to court records.
