Dallas

Suspected DWI Driver Crashes Car Into Lake Arlington: Police

A high-speed chase Friday ended in high water when Arlington police say the driver crashed into Lake Arlington and went for a brief swim.

The chase began at about 6:40 p.m. in the area of Richard Simpson Park, where someone flagged down a patrol officer and said a potentially impaired driver had struck his car, not once, but twice.

Police were able to find that driver a few blocks away, but when they approached, he drove off and ended up crashing into Lake Arlington.

With the car slowly sinking, that driver jumped out of the window and began swimming toward Fort Worth, police said.

He didn't get very far.

Arlington police released dash camera video of a high-speed chase that ended when the driver crashed into Lake Arlington and attempted to swim away before he was arrested.

Police said he got tired and swam back to shore, where officers were waiting for him.

The driver, who has been identified as 40-year-old Daniel Basham, is charged with driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, evading arrest/detention in a vehicle, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance, accident hit and run and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He is being held in the Arlington jail on bonds totaling more than ten thousand dollars.

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