COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local man was arrested on multiple charges when he fled from officers after he was observed driving the wrong way on Seventh Street near Central Avenue on Friday evening.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., CPD officers were conducting a traffic stop on Seventh Street when they observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way directly at them at a slow rate of speed, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
The officers ordered the driver of the vehicle, Marcos Morales-Cortez, 26, of 31 Oak St., Columbus, to pull over and he momentarily complied. A short time later, Cortez sped away and the CPD officers pursued him. Cortez struck a median near 10 th Street and Central Avenue and then struck a vehicle near 17th Street and Central Avenue before fleeing from his vehicle and running on foot, Harris said. The other driver involved in the crash
sustained minor injuries.
Cortez was apprehended by CPD officers a short time later and was placed under
arrest. While speaking with Cortez, the officers noted that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy and he had the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. Cortez was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw and later remanded to the Bartholomew County Jail on the following preliminary charges:
–Resisting Law Enforcement in a Vehicle
–Resisting Law Enforcement
–Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated
–Operating a Vehicle Without a License
— Bartholomew County Warrant
Cortez was being held on a 48-hour-hold in the Bartholomew County Jail, according to jail records.
