Cops: Riverhead man leads police on car chase

A Riverhead man was arrested Friday on reckless driving and drug charges after being spotted by police driving without a seatbelt around 9:50 p.m. on Flanders Road, Southampton Town police said. 

When a police officer attempted to stop Thomas Lacolla, 26, he instead fled along County Road 94 at 80 mph, switching lanes and weaving through traffic, police said. He drove northbound in southbound lanes, into oncoming traffic before getting onto the Long Island Expressway, where he stopped his car.

It was then found that his license plate wasn’t registered to the vehicle he was driving, police said. Mr. Lacolla was charged with reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree, third-degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana, police said.