Late night chase leads to DUI arrest in Laurel
LAUREL, Del. – A Seaford man was taken into custody late Sunday night on DUI and other charges following a pursuit.
Shortly before 11:30 p.m., an officer on patrol was traveling northbound on Route 13 in the area of Route 9 when they saw a vehicle traveling northbound pull into the grass median, turn completely around, and begin traveling southbound in the northbound lanes. The officer reportedly narrowly avoided a head-on crash with the vehicle as it began accelerating into oncoming traffic.
The officers subsequently turned around and tried to stop the vehicle, but it failed to stop and continued accelerating, nearly hitting several other northbound vehicles. The vehicle then drove over the concrete median, and began traveling westbound on Georgetown Road at a high rate of speed. Police say the suspect vehicle then turned right into the Laurel Grain Facility property without warning and tried to ram through a locked gate at the entrance. The vehicle became disabled as a result, and the driver fled on foot. He was safely taken into custody after a short foot pursuit that resulted in a taser deployment. While taking the suspect into custody, officers noticed multiple indicators of alcohol impairment.
The driver initially provided a false name and date of birth and refused to provide a chemical sample for the purposes of the DUI investigation. The suspect was correctly identified as 24-year-old Ramiro Medrano, who was found to have an active failure to appear capias for a 2022 DUI arrest. At the time of that arrest, Medrano was court-ordered to “not drive, operate, or be in physical control of a vehicle” while the case was pending.
Medrano was charged with disregarding a police officer signal, criminal mischief over $1000, resisting arrest, DUI, breach of release, driving without a valid license, and related traffic offenses. He was unable to be arraigned at the time of his arrest and held at SCI on an intoxication hold, then later released on his own recognizance.
