A 18-year-old Bellefonte man who led police on a high-speed chase Friday night on Interstate 80 into Clearfield County said he fled because he’s scared of flashing lights, according to charging documents in his case.

William Tipton Jr. was arrested early Saturday morning and is behind bars in Centre County awaiting a preliminary hearing this week. Police said he was not drunk or on drugs during the chase.

In the charging documents, police said they got a call about an erratic driver near Milesburg who got on I-80 and headed west. The officer caught up to the driver around mile marker 147 and turned on his flashing lights five miles later.

That’s when the chase started.

Police said Tipton was driving faster than 90 mph, and that the interstate pursuit lasted nine miles until he got off at the Kylertown exit, where a Clearfield County police officer joined in.

Tipton drove another 10 miles north on Rolling Stone Road until he crashed through the intersection with state Route 879.

Police said Tipton then fled the scene on foot and police couldn’t locate him.

Around 3 a.m., Tipton, covered in blood, showed up at the truck stop in Kylertown asking for a ride to Bellefonte, police said in the charging documents.

At that point, police arrested him and took him to the Rockview barracks.

“Tipton then admitted that he fled from me only because he was terrified of flashing lights,” state police Trooper Aaron Tiracorda wrote. 

“Tipton related that he had not been drinking nor doing drugs. He only fled because the lights scared him.”

Tipton was arrested and arraigned before District Judge Thomas Jordan on Saturday morning.

Mike Dawson can be reached at 231-4616. Follow him on Twitter @MikeDawsonCDT