DIABETIC REACTION COULD HAVE CAUSED CAR CRASHES.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

PALMDALE - A motorist who may have been suffering from a diabetic reaction hit two cars before stopping and being subdued by law enforcement officers, officials said.

The motorist's red minivan swerved in and out of traffic Monday afternoon at speeds at times more than 100 mph, hit a vehicle on Pearblossom Highway, then hit a second vehicle on 47th Street East. The motorist stopped a few hundred yards past the second crash and was taken into custody by law officers who said he struggled with them.

``This came close to being a very nasty situation,'' said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Tom Lackey. ``He narrowly missed several head-on collisions, and at those speeds that would have been deadly.''

The man, whose name was not released, was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster for treatment of injuries he sustained in the second crash. No one else was injured during any of the collisions.

Lackey said the initial investigation indicated the man might have been suffering from a diabetic condition.

California Highway Patrol officers assigned to patrol Highway 138 were flagged down about 1:30 p.m. Monday by the driver of the first vehicle the man hit. The driver, who was uninjured, pointed officers in the direction of the fleeing van.

While chasing after the van, CHP officers heard a police radio report of another hit and run crash on 47th Street East near Avenue S with the same vehicle description as the driver they were looking for.

After he was finally stopped, the man was bound with leg and handcuffs, officials said.

``When they tried to talk to him, he became very combative,'' Lackey said. ``It took several people, including firefighters to restrain him.''