Marijuana bales fly during 100 mph police chase

MESA, Ariz., March 9 (UPI) -- Authorities in Arizona said large bales of marijuana were thrown from an SUV during a chase that saw one package burst open and spray a police car with pot.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said a deputy spotted a white Chevrolet Trailblazer speeding along Interstate 8 in Casa Grande at about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday. The deputy attempted to stop the sport-utility vehicle but it sped onto Interstate 10 with police in pursuit.

Police and sheriff's office units joined the chase and a deputy's dashboard camera recorded large packages of marijuana being thrown from the Trailblazer as the chase reached speeds of up to 100 mph.

The video shows one of the packages burst on the road and spray the deputy's windshield with marijuana.

Investigators said motorists stopped to pick up the bales of marijuana and police were unable to locate them "due to traffic conditions."

The pursuing authorities were able to deflate the Trailblazer's tires using spike strips and Mario Perez-Paz, 43, and Juan Aguilar-Zavala, 21, were arrested after a brief foot chase.

Police said the incident led to the discovery of a Mesa stash house where officers discovered 374 pounds of marijuana and arrested 20 undocumented immigrants.