Norman Police Arrest 3 Teenagers After High-Speed Pursuit

A joyride through Norman early Friday morning turned into a high-speed pursuit with police.

Norman police officials said the 17-year-old suspect driver reached speeds over 100 miles per hour.

Officers took the driver and his two teenage passengers into custody after they crashed into a large electrical box near West Franklin Road and Northwest 24th Avenue. Police said the driver was arrested for driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, and felony eluding.

Norman police said officers first noticed a car driving recklessly near Campus Corner early Friday morning. An officer attempted to stop the car, but the driver did not stop. Police said it was not safe at the time to pursue the car. “Several minutes later we started to get calls into our 911 center of other citizens reporting extreme like reckless driving,” said Sarah Schettler, Norman Police Department Spokesperson. “Driving at high rates of speed, running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the street, without headlights on.”

The car was spotted again around 24th Street and Robinson Avenue with no headlights on. Officers attempted to make a traffic stop on the car, but the driver refused to cooperate. The chase went on for several miles into Moore and back into Norman. “We had reports of well over 100 miles per hour at multiple times,” said Schettler.

The driver lost control at a curve near the railroad tracks and crashed out. “The driver did get out and run from the area,” said Schettler. “Officers were able to get the person into custody after a short foot pursuit.”

Police also took the driver's two teenage passengers into custody. Police said no one was hurt during the pursuit but there were close calls. “There were a lot of near misses where they almost hit other vehicles,” said Schettler.

Police do not believe the car was stolen.