OCEAN CITY — A Jessup, Md. man was arrested early Thursday morning after leading Ocean City Police on a high-speed chase that reached nearly 100 mph at one point before crashing into a condominium building in the area of 72nd Street.
Around 3:10 a.m. on Thursday, Ocean City Police were on marked patrol in the area of Coastal Highway and 65th Street when they observed a vehicle traveling eastbound through a nearby parking lot and onto southbound Coastal Highway, nearly causing a collision with oncoming traffic. While traveling southbound, the vehicle swerved in and out of its lane and continued at a high rate of speed.
OCPD officers activated their emergency lights and sirens and began a pursuit. The vehicle, driven by Carlton Stephenson III, 21, of Jessup, failed to stop at a red traffic light at 49th Street, turned west onto 49th Street and entered a nearby parking lot. Stephenson then exited the parking lot and traveled south on Coastal Highway, making a U-turn at 48th Street while failing to yield the right-of-way for oncoming traffic.
OCPD officers continued their pursuit and stationary traffic safety unit officers recorded the vehicle traveling at a steady speed of 98 mph as it passed through the 65th Street area. Shortly thereafter, Stephenson lost control of the vehicle and collided with a condominium building in the area of Coastal Highway and 72nd Street. The vehicle crashed into and destroyed electrical meters and an electrical box, causing electrical fluid to saturate Coastal Highway in the area.
The collision caused northbound traffic to be rerouted to a single southbound lane for more than four hours early Thursday morning as Ocean City Public Works and electrical crews worked to clean up the fluid spill and restore power to the condominium building.
Stephenson was arrested on the scene with no injuries. He has been charged with driving under the influence and multiple traffic violations. As of mid-morning on Thursday, he was being held at the Public Safety Building awaiting an initial appearance in front of a District Court Commissioner.