A 19-year-old Hartford man is in custody after a chase with police on Friday. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says it started around 9 a.m. when Watervliet police tried to pull over a Ford Escape for reckless driving on M-140 near Lane Drive in Watervliet Township. The vehicle took off, heading west on I-94. The chase, now also involving Berrien County Sheriff’s deputies, continued through Watervliet Township and Coloma Township on into Benton Township, at times going faster than 100 miles per hour. The driver of the vehicle turned around near Pipestone Road and started heading east on I-94. He also pointed a realistic-looking handgun at sheriff’s deputies. The chase ended when Coloma Township police used stop sticks to deflate a tire on the suspect’s vehicle near Highland Avenue. He finally stopped, threw down the gun, and surrendered. Police say the gun turned out to be a fake. The suspect is now at the Berrien County Jail facing several charges.
