Driver with 4 Previous Drunken Driving Convictions Leads Police on 100 mph Chase

With four drunken driving convictions on his record, Gary Lawrence Karas, 36, of Troy did as he was supposed to when a deputy from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office activated emergency equipment about 6 p.m. Monday: Karas pulled over.

But when the deputy, who suspected Karas was drunk, asked him to get out of his Ford F-150 pickup, Karas apparently changed his mind.

He “threw his car into reverse and purposely backed into the sheriff patrol car. (Karas) then drove across a lawn and fled the scene at a high rate of speed,” police said in a news release.

The chase, which began on North River Road near I-94 in Harrison Township, reportedly reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, with Karas leading authorities through a construction zone.

It ended when Karas broadsided a police vehicle set up on Union Lake. The F-150 was disabled in the crash and Karas exited, struggling with authorities before they brought him under control. He sustained minor injuries in the crash and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Karas was arraigned Tuesday on charges of felonious assault with a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding, operating while impaired (third offense), and resisting and obstructing arrest. His driver’s license was “administratively denied and revoked” because of the four previous drunken driving convictions.

Karas is being held on $100,000 cash or surety bond. His next court appearance is June 9 in 41-B District court in Clinton Township.