A Georgia man driving a Chevrolet Camaro was arrested early Monday after allegedly leading Nebraska state troopers on a harrowing chase through Lincoln that reached speeds of more than 155 mph, according to reports.
Jamell Martinez, 33, of Hinesville was clocked going 128 mph overnight on Interstate 80 near the state capital’s downtown exit, where the posted speed limit is 65 mph, police said.
Martinez tried to outrun the pursuit, speeding up in excess of 155 mph as the trooper tried to pull him over, state patrol spokesman Cody Thomas said, according to The Lincoln Journal-Star.
Officers were forced to flatten Martinez’s tires with stop sticks, ending the pursuit in less than 10 minutes, according to reports. The chase covered nearly 20 miles in that time.
Martinez faces charges of willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest and multiple traffic violations.
He was being held in the Lancaster County Jail.
Earlier this year, law enforcement in several states reported that more and more drivers were being pulled over for speeding above 100 mph as the nation’s highways sat mostly free of traffic due to coronavirus lockdowns.
Officials were alarmed after a three-week period in metro Atlanta showed 52 people had been stopped for speeds of 100 mph or more on Georgia 400 and Interstate 285.
“People have turned 400 and 285 into NASCAR,” Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said at the time. “Just because people are staying home doesn’t open the roadways to excessive speed.”
Reckless speeding in many states can punishable by arrest, hefty fines, vehicle seizure and/or a suspended license.
Georgia’s super speeder law, which was approved in 2009, tacks an extra $200 fine onto a ticket for anyone convicted of speeding at 75 mph or more on a two-lane road or at least 85 mph on a larger highway.
The state annually receives tens of millions of dollars from the extra fines.
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