Trooper clocks driver at 170 mph on Tempe freeway, DPS says

A driver was arrested Monday after a state trooper clocked his car at 170 mph in a 65 mph zone on Loop 202 in Tempe, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

The trooper used a radar gun to clock the gray 2023 BMW M2 near Sky Harbor Boulevard as it sped past other traffic, according to DPS. The trooper followed it with help from the agency’s Traffic Operations Center and saw the car cut across every lane in one motion to take the McClintock Drive exit.

The trooper caught up with the car after it left the freeway.

When asked how fast he had been going, the driver first said about 110 to 115 mph, DPS said. He later said he didn’t know he was going that fast and wanted one last drive before trading in the car, which sells for about $65,000.

The unnamed driver was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and endangerment.

At that speed, a driver could cover the roughly 115 miles from Phoenix to Tucson in about 40 minutes, less than half the usual drive time.

“Speed limits exist to protect every driver on the road,” DPS said.

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