A 17-year-old was arrested early Thursday after police said he led officers on a short chase through downtown Lewiston before crashing into a building.
Now, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are investigating both the juvenile and his mother, according to two sources familiar with then case, suggesting the pair are present in the U.S. illegally.
The Lewiston Police Department declined to provide the incident report for the arrest because the driver is a minor, and the Maine Wire is opting not to name the suspect or his mother.
The teen faces multiple charges, including refusing to stop, driving to endanger, operating without a license, operating under the influence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and several traffic violations, Lewiston police Lt. Derrick St. Laurent told the Sun Journal.
[RELATED: Illegal Alien Driving on Maine Permit Hits, Kills Pedestrian in Lewiston…]
The chase began around 1:50 a.m. when an officer saw a vehicle being driven erratically near the 7-Eleven at 345 Main St. Police said the driver refused to stop and fled through the downtown area.
[RELATED: Three Hispanic Males On the Run After Opening Fire on Rumford Police with Rifles…]
After about a minute, the vehicle jumped a curb at the intersection of Cedar and Lincoln streets, striking the Hope Haven Gospel Mission building at 209 Lincoln St. Police said the driver then ran from the vehicle but was quickly caught by officers.
St. Laurent said damage to the building was minimal. The teenager, who has a prior history of driving without a license, was taken to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland after a juvenile community corrections officer approved his transport.
