Teen Driver Collides With Patrol Car During Police Chase: Cops

Two police officers were hospitalized after police say a 16-year-old from Westbury collided with a patrol vehicle multiple times during a police chase on Sunday afternoon.

According to authorities, police attempted to pull over a BMW with a switched South Carolina license plate, operated by Talique Thomas, but the vehicle sped up to avoid them on Post Avenue in Westbury at 3:42 p.m.

Officers pulled up beside the driver's side of the BMW to direct the vehicle to pull over. Thomas intentionally swerved and collided into the police car, police say. Thomas then turned into the parking lot of Jared jewelry store, located at 195 Old Country Road, where he collided with the patrol vehicle two more times to avoid police, authorities say.

Thomas continued to flee with a damaged tire onto Old Country Road and Meadowbrook Parkway, where he lost control of his vehicle and collided with a 2007 Toyota, police say. Thomas and three other males fled the car on foot, police say.

Thomas was located in front on Wright Avenue and placed under arrest after he did not comply with an officer's orders to stop, police say. He was found to be in possession of seven plastic bags of marijuana, police say.

One other person who fled the vehicle was located by police officers and later released.

Two police officers involved in the collision were taken to a local hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of the Toyota were uninjured.

Thomas was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, second-degree criminal mischief, second-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer, leaving an accident causing physical injury, failure to signal, facsimile license plate violation, failure to notify suspended license and failure to stop at an intersection stop sign. He will be arraigned Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.

Patch photo

Police say mugshot is not available