A motorist suspected of smoking marijuana proved to be more than Baltimore police bargained for yesterday as his Toyota Celica outran two motorcycle officers and a helicopter, which was blown off the chase by gusts of wind, authorities reported.
The car was last seen heading south on Interstate 95 in excess of 100 mph, police said.
"Strong head winds prohibited the helicopter from pursuing the vehicle," said Officer Robert W. Weinhold Jr., a police spokesman. "The officers on the ground had also backed off because the car had reached too high a speed."
The driver of the silver Celica was being sought last night. His identity wasn't known, but police recorded his Maryland license tag number -- 1A27871 -- before he zoomed off.
According to motor vehicle records, the tag is a dealer plate registered to Len Stoler automotive dealership in Owings Mills. A representative of the dealership said last night that he didn't know whether the plate had been stolen.
The incident began about 12:10 p.m. when two motorcycle officers, who were westbound on North Avenue and were stopped for a red light at Pennsylvania Avenue, noticed a "strong odor of marijuana" coming from the Celica, Officer Weinhold said.
The officers turned on their flashing lights and attempted to pull the car over, but the driver sped off, police said.
The officers caught up with the car on Reisterstown Road at Park Heights Avenue, where it got trapped in "an abundance of traffic," Officer Weinhold said.
The officers got off their motorcycles and approached the car, but the driver swerved out of the pack of traffic and fled, police said.
One of the officers, Bryan Curran, 42, a seven-year veteran, was struck by the right rear of the car and suffered a minor hand injury, police said.
Police lost sight of the car briefly until one of the city police "Foxtrot" helicopters spotted it going south on I-95. But a 15-mph head wind prevented the helicopter from pursuing the speeding car, police said.
Investigators said the motorist, if found, would face charges of fleeing and eluding police, reckless endangerment, and assaulting with intent to murder a police officer.