A pedestrian was hit and several police cruisers were damaged during a pursuit of a vehicle Wednesday afternoon through downtown Skowhegan.
The operator of the vehicle was arrested and taken to Somerset County Jail, according to David Bucknam, Skowhegan’s police chief.
Several vehicles were hit during the incident, including multiple Somerset County Sheriff’s cruisers, Bucknam said. One pedestrian was hit, but was not seriously injured and not taken to the hospital, Bucknam said.
The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation. Chief Deputy Mike Mitchell was not able to confirm what caused the chase or any other details when contacted on Wednesday, and he did not immediately provide the name of the suspect or charges involved.
Somerset County sheriff’s deputies, Skowhegan police and Fairfield police were involved, Bucknam said.
Video posted to Facebook showed at least six patrol vehicles chasing the pickup as it entered the parking lot of the former Solon Manufacturing mill on the island downtown. The video, shot by a person working to rehab the mill, shows the pickup strike at least two patrol vehicles before being hemmed in, bringing the chase to an end.
Jim Sylvester said he was in the downtown Skowhegan business district when he heard several sirens. From where he was sitting at the corner of Madison Avenue and Water Street, Sylvester said he saw the pickup drive around the downtown business district several times over the course of 15-20 minutes with police following behind.
“It was quite a lot of action,” said Sylvester, who is a former sheriff’s deputy and police officer.
Sylvester said of the driver: “He had a cigarette in his mouth and looked calm, cool and collected.”
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