On Saturday, August 9, police from Huntington, West Virginia were led on a 20-minute car chase through several neighborhoods before arresting the driver on charges of felony fleeing while driving under the influence and felony child neglect, according to Cabell County, West Virginia 911 Dispatch.
According to dispatch, they received a call concerning the driver shortly before 5 p.m. after police attempted to make a routine traffic stop. The drive led police from the south side of Huntington toward downtown and finally to the West End before police apprehended him. Upon stopping the driver, police discovered a child in the vehicle’s back seat strapped into a car seat. The child was unharmed.
According to the dispatcher, the man “drove in circles” around Huntington and never exceeded 30 miles per hour.
Police charged Brent Alexander Gist with felony fleeing while DUI, felony child neglect with the risk of injury, two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery, misdemeanor driving on a suspended license, misdemeanor driving without proof of insurance, misdemeanor obstruction, and misdemeanor fleeing.
An eyewitness said that at the height of the chase, there were at least five marked police vehicles in pursuit of Gist.
