A man with a suspended Commercial Driver’s License took police on a wild chase through Daytona Beach, Florida, with his two young children in the truck, on Sunday afternoon.
According to The Daytona News Journal, it started when a white Volvo semi truck driven by 30-year-old Matthew Barthel struck three cars at the intersection of Bellville Road and Clyde Morris Boulevard around 2:30 p.m, before taking off.
When officers attempted to stop the truck near International Speedway Boulevard they heard a young girl yelling for help. Before officers could approach the truck, Barthel took off again through the city.
Daytona Beach Police say the truck passed several red lights, drove at excessive speeds, hit another tractor trailer, and drove southbound on the northbound lanes of Clyde Morris Boulevard during the chase.
Barthel finally stopped the big rig in a field near Clyde Morris Boulevard and Reed Canal Road and took off running with the two kids. Officers grabbed the children first, and identified them as Barthel’s 9-year old son and 7-year-old daughter. The children suffered minor injuries and were eventually handed over to their mother.
Police used a helicopter to later find Barthel hiding in the woods. He was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and two counts of hit-and-run with injuries.