An Orlando police lieutenant observed a taxi driver shooting a handgun into the air several times before driving off at speeds in excess of 100 mph early Sunday morning. The officer pursued the mini-van taxi while calling in support from additional police units. 

The taxi driver only traveled around five miles along Interstate 4 before pulling off into the parking lot of a group of apartments. When he was arrested, the driver claimed that he had been fighting with another driver named "Luis" and that the gunfire near the Church Street Station bar district had been to scare Luis. Police have been unable to verify this story, and the officer who initially saw the driver firing into the air said that there were no other taxis nearby. 

When the driver refused to get out of the car, police were forced to break the driver-side window and remove him from the vehicle. A search of the taxi turned up a concealed .40-caliber Glock handgun. The driver had a blood alcohol level three times higher than the legal limit and was charged with driving under the influence, firing a gun while intoxicating, resisting arrest, and a number of other crimes. 

Thankfully nobody was seriously injured during this car chase, but drunk drivers are a serious danger to other vehicles on the road. If you have been the victim of a drunk driver or involved in a drunk driving accident, contact the St. Petersburg car accident lawyers of Beltz & Ruth, P.A., at 800-931-8106.