Rochester woman drives through fresh concrete to escape police

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester woman drove through 150 feet of fresh concrete in a bid to evade police Monday evening.

A yet-unnamed 53-year-old woman had been the center of nine complaints to Rochester police since May 11, Capt. Casey Moilanen said, for driving erratically and using a bullhorn to, in her words, "spread the word of God" as she drove.

At about 4:38 p.m. Monday, May 16, officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the woman’s car after seeing her drive through a red light while yelling through her bullhorn.

The woman refused to stop and, per Moilanen, RPD rarely chases people in vehicles unless there is an imminent danger to the public.

At about 5:26 p.m., another officer on 3rd Avenue was stopped at a red light when a passerby approached their car and said the woman in front of them had run multiple red lights.

The second officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop at Westover Lane and 7th Street NE.

The woman accelerated, Moilanen said and drove toward Broadway Avenue until she crashed through construction barricades and drove into about 150 feet of wet, freshly poured concrete, forcing her to stop.

Officers arrested the woman without incident, Moilanen said and took her to St. Marys for a psych evaluation.

The construction team has since reported $30-40,000 in damages, he added.

The woman faces two counts of fleeing police in a motor vehicle, one county of 1st-degree damage of property, and a count of driving a motor vehicle without insurance.