On Dec. 27, 2018, at 1:43 a.m., troopers assigned to the Syracuse Initiative attempted to stop a 2003 GMC Envoy on I-690 near Thompson Road in Syracuse for speeding, 85 mph in a 55-mph zone.
The driver of the GMC Envoy, later identified as Jacob Mekete, 22, of Syracuse, refused to stop and continued down I-690 to the off-ramp to Teall Avenue.
The vehicle continued down several streets in Syracuse. Mekete, at one point, turned off the headlights and taillights in an attempt to elude patrols. Mekete then turned onto Pleasantview Avenue, where he struck two vehicles parked in the driveway of 504 Pleasantview Ave.
Mekete then exited the vehicle and fled on foot; he was quickly apprehended by Syracuse Police officers.
Mekete of 637 DeWitt St., was charged with third-degree unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle (a class A misdemeanor), unlawful possession of marijuana (a violation), reckless driving (unclassified misdemeanor), fourth-degree criminal mischief (a class A misdemeanor), second-degree obstruction of governmental administration (a class A misdemeanor) and leaving the scene of a property damage auto accident in Salina.
Mekete was transported to the Onondaga County Justice Center pending centralized arraignment.