WATERVILLE — A Clinton man was arrested Saturday night after leading police on a car chase through Waterville.

Ryan Gagne, 28, of Sebasticook Drive, was intoxicated and reached speeds of up to 100 mph, according to Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey.

Gagne was charged by police with eluding an officer, criminal operating under the influence, operating after suspension, driving to endanger, criminal speeding and operating a vehicle without a license.

The chase started shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday night. Waterville Officer Kyle McDonald was on Elm Street when he saw a 2003 Ford Taurus with a broken tail light, Rumsey said. The vehicle swerved across the center line and into the opposite lane of traffic shortly after McDonald saw it, then failed to stop when McDonald turned his emergency lights on, Rumsey said.

The car drove down Elm Street, turning right onto Western Avenue then right again onto Pleasant Street with McDonald in pursuit. The driver was swerving and operating erratically and nearly collided with a car parked on the side of the street, Rumsey said.

Rumsey said police take an “enormous amount” of conditions into account before initiating a chase, including whether the vehicle poses a risk to public safety, how much traffic is on the road and whether police are familiar with the driver.

Three Waterville officers took part in the chase, which covered 3.7 miles. There was no other traffic on the road at the time, Rumsey said.

The car turned left onto North Street, where it accelerated, reaching up to 100 mph before turning right again on County Road, Rumsey said. The car’s average speed was approximately 60 mph, he said.

On County Road, the driver of the vehicle “suddenly and abruptly” slammed on the brakes and stopped the car. When he did, a male passenger got out of the vehicle, as if attempting to flee, and was detained by police, Rumsey said.

The passenger told officers that he had asked Gagne to stop and let him out when McDonald initially put his lights on, but Gagne refused. The man was released and will not be charged, Rumsey said.

According to Rumsey, Gagne refused to get out of the car, and officers had to use a baton to break the driver’s side window and unlock the door so they could get him out.

There was a “scuffle” when officers tried to arrest Gagne, and he was cut from broken glass, though the injuries were minor, Rumsey said.

Gagne was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and submitted to a blood test for alcohol. The appearance that Gagne was intoxicated and the “totality of the circumstances” led police to charge him with operating under the influence, Rumsey said.

At about the time Gagne was arrested, a woman called the police to report that her car — matching the description of the vehicle Gagne was driving — had been stolen. The woman was an associate of Gagne and when she learned that he was driving the car she did not want to pursue charges or cooperate, Rumsey said. The car was towed.

Gagne was taken to Kennebec County jail in Augusta on a $5,800 cash bail. Most of the charges against him are misdemeanors, but eluding an officer is a class C felony that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, Rumsey said.

Gagne’s court date is Jan. 11 in Kennebec Superior Court in Augusta.

Peter McGuire — 861-9239

pmcguire@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @PeteL_McGuire