Woman flees deputies; is arrested

Lower Keys – Deputy Juan Martin-Reyes got more than he bargained for while working a DUI saturation patrol early Sunday. He attempted to stop a Boynton Beach woman speeding on U.S. One in the early morning hours; she fled from him at high speed, but was eventually arrested.

Laura Rager was southbound in her white Toyota at 73 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone at 2:23 p.m. when Deputy Martin-Reyes spotted her. He turned around and attempted a traffic stop, backed up by Deputy Jon Huff.

Rager pulled over but just as the deputy was getting out of the car, she took off. He followed. She reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, crossing both the white and yellow lines of the roadway; she forced several vehicles off the roadway with her dangerous behavior.

At one point, Deputy Scott Ward was traveling toward her with his lights and siren activated in an attempt to slow her down. She crossed the center line and drove directly at him, forcing him off the road at the 16 mile marker of the highway.

She got all the way to the five mile marker of the highway and saw the red and blue lights of deputies setting up a Stinger Spike strip in an attempt to puncture her tires. At that point, she did a U-turn on the highway. As she turned, Deputy Martin-Reyes saw her roll down her window and stick her hand out, extending her middle finger at him.

He also turned around and started back north behind her vehicle. At the 10 mile marker she again crossed the center line forcing an tractor-trailer truck off the road.

At the 20.5 mile marker, more deputies were stationed with a Stinger Spike system. They punctured her tires and the car slowly came to a stop.

Rager jumped out of the car and fled, running toward a wooded area. The deputies chased her. When they caught up with her, they ordered her to show her hands so they could be sure she did not have a weapon. She refused to comply and a Taser was used to subdue her.

Rager smelled strongly of alcohol and had several prescription medications in her vehicle. She had urinated and defecated on herself and kept yelling “why don’t you just shoot me, get it over with,” to the deputies on scene.

She refused breath tests at the jail, and refused to sign citations as well. The deputy checked her arrest record and found two prior DUI arrests.

Rager was charged with fleeing and eluding police, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (third violation), aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, speeding in excess of 50 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, failing to maintain a single lane, refusal to submit to a breath test and five counts of resisting arrest.