Suspect leads police on high-speed chase

LYMAN – An armed man who caused a disturbance at an Augusta Wal-Mart last month was under observation Tuesday after leading police on a high-speed chase for 15 miles through three southern Maine towns.

Philip Urquhart, 42, of Windham faces charges that include reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and eluding police, said Lt. Gary Fecteau of the York County Sheriff’s Department. Urquhart told dispatchers he wanted police to shoot him, Fecteau said.

During the chase Monday evening, he rammed a police cruiser and avoided spike mats before fleeing on foot after turning onto a dirt road that was impassable because of a fallen tree. The pursuit began in Waterboro and ended in Lyman, hitting speeds of more than 100 mph.

Urquhart could face charges in Kennebec County for violating conditions of bail. He was free on bail after being charged with terrorizing and criminal threatening for allegedly walking into a Wal-Mart last month with two loaded handguns and telling everyone to get out.

After the incident, he was taken to Riverview Psychiatric Center and later ordered to undergo mental health counseling. Urquhart told police he was trying to create a situation in which he would be killed by police, according to an affidavit.