Posted on August 31, 2005

Sharpton Hitches to Airport After 110-MPH Chase

WorldNetDaily.com, Aug. 29

A weekend meeting with Cindy Sheehan was followed by a high-speed, nine-mile police chase for Rev. Al Sharpton.

A car carrying the former presidential candidate to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was clocked at 110 mph in a 65-mph zone on Interstate 35-E west of Waxahachie, Texas.

“That nine-mile chase is news to me,” Sharpton told the Associated Press. “All I know is that the police pulled us over because they wanted to talk to the driver about speeding.”

He also called the sheriff’s report “ludicrous” and accused the officers in Ellis County of “embellishing the story.”

Chief Deputy Charles Sullins said the driver, 43-year-old Jarrett Maupin of Phoenix, ignored police attempts to stop the vehicle, which was weaving in and out of traffic before state troopers were finally able to get in front of it.

Maupin was arrested on charges of evading arrest with a vehicle and reckless driving. He has since been released after posting a $1,000 bond. The car was impounded.

Sharpton reportedly said the law required officers to arrest everyone in the vehicle, but Sullins said that was wrong, asking AP, “Why would we arrest the passengers for something the driver did?”

Sharpton and the two other passengers in the rented 2005 Lincoln were reportedly offered a ride by deputies to a nearby hotel. They declined and said they’d walk.

Sharpton reportedly hitched a ride from a passing car and made his flight to New York.