Driver with toddler in car leads police on chase

A pursuit in the Valley with a child in the back seat ended with a crash on Saturday evening.

Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies say 25-year-old Kaiser Chavez was driving with an infant in the back seat when he approached a DUI checkpoint between Scottsdale and Tempe. Deputies say instead of slowing down for the checkpoint, he sped off. After he was spotted driving through a red light at Rural and University, officers from several law enforcement agencies followed him.

Chavez reportedly crashed into the median on the exit ramp at SR 143 and University, crossed into a couple of lanes of traffic, and came to a stop. Chavez ran off on foot, and law enforcement caught up with him in minutes later. They say he tested positive for both marijuana and alcohol, and that paraphernalia was found inside the vehicle. He was also driving on a suspended license, they say.

Chavez's one-year-old daughter was found inside the vehicle. Both the girl and Chavez were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The girl has been reunited with her mother.

Chavez now faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated DUI, felony flight, child abuse, endangerment, kidnapping and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked into the Fourth Avenue jail after he was released from the hospital.