Bethany Beach Police arrest pursuit suspect

BETHANY  BEACH, Del. – Bethany Beach Police have made an arrest in last week’s pursuit that resulted in a crash.

At around 10:40 a.m., officers tried to stop a red Honda Accord following a traffic violation, but the driver fled at a high rate of speed. The driver fled northbound on Coastal Highway towards the Inlet River Bridge, but after a sudden U-turn, the vehicle traveled southbound in a reckless manner, leading officers to end the chase for public safety.

After making the U-turn, the vehicle continued driving recklessly, causing it to swerve into the grassy median and into the opposite travel lane, crashing into a legally traveling car in the northbound lane of Coastal Highway.

The driver of the Accord was identified as 18-year-old Yaniel Pagan of Millsboro. He was flown to Christiana Care for treatment of serious injuries.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 60-year-old Frankford man, was taken to Beebe Healthcare for non-life-threatening injuries.

After being released from the hospital, Pagan was charged with reckless endangerment, disregarding a police officer signal, vehicular assault, possession of personal use marijuana, and numerous traffic offenses. He was held at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on a $14,100 secured bond.