The driver of a stolen vehicle was arrested Friday night after allegedly eluding police and causing a crash involving three other cars.
Karl McDougal-Orosco, 34, of Pittsfield was driving a 2008 Toyota Tundra north on I-95 in Augusta when a Maine State Police detective spotted him driving erratically. The officer turned on blue lights and sirens, but the driver didn’t stop, police said.
Around mile marker 119, the Tundra struck another vehicle, leading to a chain-reaction crash involving two more vehicles. McDougal-Orosco fled on foot but was soon arrested, according to Shannon Moss, Maine public safety spokesperson.
Police learned the Tundra had been stolen recently in Augusta. McDougal-Orosco was charged with eluding an officer, driving to endanger, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and was taken to the Kennebec County Jail in Augusta.
Two of the other vehicles involved were a 2024 Toyota RAV4 and a 2013 Buick Enclave. The third vehicle was not identified.
A passenger in the RAV4 and the driver of the Buick were taken to Maine General Hospital in Augusta with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.
The pileup caused significant traffic delays but there were no other crashes.