Early this morning around 0118 hours, dispatch received numerous calls for a wrong way driver heading south in the northbound lanes. Payson Police responded as no other law enforcement agencies were available at the time.  

Officers arrived around Mile Marker 236.5 on Beeline Highway and located a grey Chevrolet Malibu with a male driver asleep at the wheel and the vehicle still in drive. Officers attempted to keep the vehicle from moving by placing “Stop Sticks” around the tires before waking the driver. As officers were knocking on the passenger side windows, the driver woke and quickly accelerated, driving over the Stop Sticks and striking police vehicles.

The driver continued southbound in the northbound lanes before finally coming to a stop around Mile Marker 235. Officers took the driver into custody without any further issues. Thank you to DPS and GCSO who came out to assist with the call. No officers or civilians were injured.

The driver was booked into the Gila County Jail for numerous charges including Aggravated DUI, Aggravated Assault on an Officer, and Endangerment.