By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

A driver who at one point told police by cell phone that he would start to “run into people, killing them” if they didn’t quit their high-speed pursuit was being taken to a hospital for mental evaluation late Sunday night.

The man led police from at least three jurisdictions on a 35-minute chase east and west on Route 196 and on some side streets before he was pulled from his white Honda near the China Inn restaurant in Lisbon at about 10:50 p.m.

Lewiston police initiated the chase after getting complaints that, among other things, the man was tossing beer bottles from his car window. They took him to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center for the evaluation.

The driver was finally stopped after police positioned spike mats across both lanes of Route 196 in Lisbon. The mats deflated tires on the Honda. Even then the pursuit continued with police at one point noting the driver was “lighting up the road” as sparks flew from his tireless wheel rims.

Earlier, he had avoided a half-dozen or more attempts to spike his tires. Police taking part in the chase reported that the man would elude the mats by either swerving into the left lane or using a breakdown lane.

Some of the time he was running with his lights blacked out in an unsuccessful effort to throw police off his trail.

Lewiston police had taken up the chase near Sabattus Street and East Avenue after getting calls that the driver could be suicidal and other complaints that he was tossing beer bottles from the open window of his car.

About the same time a Lewiston officer had reported confiscating some firearms from a man in that general area. It wasn’t clear late Sunday night if the two reports were related.

Once the chase got under way, the man headed east onto Lisbon Street – Route 196 – where additional cruisers from Lewiston joined in the chase. They called for Lisbon police to set up spike mats at the Lewiston-Lisbon town line.

After the driver had gone around those mats, Lisbon police fell into column of cruisers giving chase. State police also joined in the pursuit as it continued into Lisbon, did a turn-about back toward Lewiston and turned again into Lisbon toward Topsham. The chase again turned as the driver headed back west on Route 196.

Officers taking part in the chase kept up a running commentary informing one another of their location and suggested places to deploy more spike mats.

At one point the driver called police on his cell phone, reaching state police who patched him through to a pursuing Lewiston officer.

State police said the caller told them that if police didn’t end their chase, he’d start to run into people. That prompted police to clear all traffic from the often-busy Route 196, and to block off some side roads.

The Lewiston officer spoke briefly with the driver before reporting that “he hung up on me.”

Late Sunday night, police were still adding up possible charges that could face the driver.

Besides speeding – the pursuit was said to reach 80 miles an hour at times – police suspected the driver was operating under the influence of liquor or drugs or both. The driver could also face charges of refusing to stop for police and multiple traffic infractions.

At one point, police said the driver purposely swerved toward a cruiser.