High speed chase leads to crash, arrest

PLAINVIEW, N.Y. (WABC) -- A mother and her two toddler aged children had no idea what was about to happen when a car being driven, police say, by 23-year-old William Girardin rammed into them.

Matt Murphy is Girardin's friend and was in the passenger seat throughout the 14-mile chase, screaming to officers through the car window.

"I was grabbing the seat and just praying for my life. I told him to stop, yeah I did at the top of my lungs," Murphy said.

Investigators say it all started when police tried to pull Girardin over near exit 55 just for a routine traffic stop.

They say he took off heading westbound, eventually exiting at Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.

He tried to squeeze his car between those of some innocent bystanders.

"He is going to submit to a blood test to determine what drugs were in his system," said Chief Michael Sharkley, Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.

Police say they found oxycodone pills in Girardin's car.

Fortunately, the mother and her children were not injured in the crash.

Girardin now faces multiple vehicle charges, DWI under the influence of Drugs, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

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