TOWN OF EMPIRE – A 44-year-old St. Petersburg, Florida, man was arrested early Sunday morning on suspicion of leading law enforcement on a pursuit involving speeds of more than 100 mph and an attempt to flee on foot.

The incident started shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday when a Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputy tried to stop the man’s vehicle for speeding. The sheriff’s office said the vehicle was traveling 116 mph in a 55 mph zone and was headed west on State 23 at Whispering Springs Drive in town of Empire.

The deputy activated his emergency light and siren in the fully marked squad, but the man did not yield to the deputy’s attempts and instead continued westbound through the roundabout at State 23 and Wisconsin American Drive.

The vehicle then entered the eastbound lanes of travel while continuing westbound on State 23 near U.S. 151.

The vehicle continued in the wrong lane of traffic when the driver tried to make a left turn on Prairie Road. The vehicle was unsuccessful because of the excessive speed, and it struck a curb. The vehicle entered the south terrace on Johnson Street, entering an adjacent parking lot, continuing to drive at a high speed.

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A Fond du Lac Police Department officer was investigating a separate, unrelated incident in that same parking lot and was outside of their vehicle and observed the vehicle operating at a high speed in close proximately to them.

The vehicle then became disabled as the result of striking the curb.

At the time the vehicle stopped, the driver exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot. A perimeter was established to contain the suspect. A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on foot and checking the area when they encountered the suspect. A brief foot chase ensued, but the driver eventually complied with the deputy’s commands.

The driver was then taken into custody without further incident.

The driver, whose name was not released, was found about 200 yards away from the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said evidence recovered at the scene, in addition to observations of the officer, confirmed the suspect was the driver of the vehicle.

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The driver was identified as a 44-year-old man from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is being held at Fond du Lac County Jail on suspicion of vehicle operator flee and elude officers, first-degree recklessly endanger safety, operate while intoxicated, possession of psilocin/psilocybin, and resisting and obstructing an officer. He was also cited for several traffic violations.

The pursuit lasted 2.1 miles. The suspect vehicle sustained minor damage to the front passenger tire. No civilians, suspects or law enforcement officers were injured. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Fond du Lac Police Department and Wisconsin State Patrol.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac high-speed pursuit results in arrest of Florida man