A 100 mph chase ended with a Palmer driver pinned against a tree

Troopers spotted a car speeding through a construction zone near Stringfield and Bogard roads late Wednesday night. When they moved in, the driver ran.

The chase topped 100 mph. He blew a red light, lost control on a curve, rolled into a ditch, and came to rest upside down, pinned against a tree. Fire and rescue crews cut him out. He was alone in the car, and no one else was hurt.

Austin Banks, 23, of Palmer, was already wanted on four warrants — a previous failure to stop, second-degree burglary, larceny, and driving with a revoked license. After treatment at Mat-Su Regional Hospital, he was booked into the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on those warrants plus new charges of first-degree failure to stop, misuse of license plates, and reckless driving.

The charges are accusations. Banks is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.