A New Mexico man had to be rescued Saturday night after a dramatic high-speed chase that ended when his vehicle crashed into a ditch south of Towaoc and then burst into flames.

Vigil Leander, 19, allegedly attempted to allude a Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputy who had stopped him as he cruised the parking lot at the M&M Truck Stop with two flat tires, according to police reports. Sparks really began to fly, the report says, after Leander "looked directly at" the sheriff deputy, drove his Ford Taurus over two parking barricades onto County Road G, and then sped away southbound along Highway 160 at speeds reaching 90 miles per hour, with two wheel rims bare.

Northbound traffic and those leaving the Ute Mountain Casino were advised to stay off of the road while officers from the Colorado State Patrol, Towaoc Police and Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office fell into pursuit.

Just south of the casino, according to reports, Leander passed a southbound vehicle and then began to swerve into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing a head-on collision. Shortly after, he lost control again and violently crashed into a ditch, triggering a grass fire near the vehicle’s gas tank.

Towaoc officer Dale American Horse was quickly on the scene and pulled Leander out of the vehicle that, the report notes, "was rapidly becoming engulfed in flames" while members of the sheriff’s office and State Patrol swiftly put out the blaze. Overheated rims were the likely cause of the fire, officials said.

Leander, of Sheep Spring, NM., was transported to Southwest Memorial for minor injuries where he submitted to blood alcohol test. The results were not available at press time. According to the police report, officers confiscated eight unopened cans of beer from the vehicle and detected on Leander "a very strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath and person."

Leander is being charged by the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Towaoc division with DUI, reckless driving, eluding officers, driving without a valid license, and a liquor violation. Similar charges are pending against him by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s office, reported Sheriff Joey Chavez.

Leander is being held in the Towaoc jail pending a court date.