Trucker With Two Children Along Leads Police On Wild Chase In Daytona Beach

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truck credit ollirg Shutterstockcom

Daytona Beach, FL-Police in Daytona Beach have charged a trucker with a list of counts after they say he was driving with a revoked license and caused accidents that involved four vehicles and hurt at least one person Saturday. The man, identified as 30-year-old Matthew Berthel of Orlando, weighs 400 pounds and was too heavy to be airlifted from a crash scene. He had two small children in the truck with him. The whole thing started Saturday around 4:15 PM when Berthel turned his tractor trailer onto Clyde Morris Blvd. from Beville Road and hit three vehicles. He stayed at the scene until police showed up but then took off. He was stopped by an officer at Richard Petty Blvd. and Midway Avenue and that's when the officer noticed a little girl peeking from behind the driver in the cab. Berthel, according to the officer, shoved the girl out of sight. He then drove away and police began chasing him. He hit another vehicle on ISB and, at one point, drove into oncoming traffic. Police say during the chase a small girl was yelling for help out the window of Berthel's truck. The truck crashed into a ditch on Reed Canal Road and Berthel took off on foot, dragging two small children with him. Berthel ended up with a broken ankle and a dog bite from a police dog after, police say, Berthel refused to comply with orders. The children, a boy and a girl, were ok, though they had cuts and scrapes. Berthel faces charges including resisting without violence,  fleeing/attempting to elude, and driving with a revoked license. He was being held Sunday on $101,000 bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail.

Berthel jail booking photo

berthel

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