Driver leads law enforcement in multi-county chase in east Alabama
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A man is in custody after a high speed chase down Highway 280 Tuesday.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies attempted to stop a vehicle with an obscured license plate during the late morning hours of Tuesday, March 24, 2026, on Highway 280 near Lee Road 298 in the Smiths Station area of Lee County.
The driver refused to stop, and eventually the chase ended on Phenix City Bypass North (U.S. Highway 80) near the South Railroad Street overpass, according to Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.
Deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Russell County Sheriff’s Office and police officers with Phenix City Police Department were all involved in the chase.
The driver, identified as a 29-year-old John Joshua Z Gonzales, was arrested. Gonzales was booked into the Lee County Jail on felony attempting to elude, reckless endangerment charges and two citations for obstructed tag and expired tag.
The man will face additional pending charges through Russell County.
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