A 38-year-old Lincoln Park man was arrested this week after a car chase and he spit blood in a police officer's face, authorities said.

Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton said the incident started at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. He said a female motorist flagged down a Wyandotte police car with two officers inside and on patrol.

She appeared shaken, the chief said. She pointed to a truck and told the officers it had been chasing her, tried to run her off the road and "kill her." The woman told police she did not know the truck's driver.

Hamilton said the officers activated their vehicle's sirens and tried to pull the truck over. The truck's driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued, the chief reported.

Police pursued the suspect through the city and into the neighboring communities of Southgate, Riverview, Trenton, Woodhaven, Brownstown Township and ultimately in Huron Township, Hamilton said. He added the truck at times exceeded speeds of 100 mph.

After officers stopped the fleeing vehicle, they ran to the truck to arrest the driver, the chief said. However, the driver refused to exit the vehicle, put it in reverse and struck a parked car, he said.

The suspect then locked the truck's doors, forcing police to smash a window to extract him from its cab, according to Hamilton. Once they removed him from the vehicle, he continued to struggle with police and spit blood into the face of one of the officers, he said.

"Spitting on an officer is no different than assaulting him with a weapon," Hamilton said. "It's very dangerous. It could lead to disease. It's just as bad as hitting someone with a baseball bat."

Police overpowered the suspect and arrested him.

Hamilton said the man is in the police department's jail awaiting formal charges and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

He said no injuries were reported.

The chief praised his officers for their work and expressed his thanks to the neighboring police departments that helped with the suspect's arrest.

He also said the incident underscores the need for mandatory prison time for fleeing and eluding police.

"It's currently a felony in Michigan, but I've never known a case in which a suspect does prison time for fleeing the police even though it's just as dangerous as firing a loaded gun on a roadway," the chief said.

In Michigan, first-degree fleeing and eluding police is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and fourth-degree fleeing and eluding carries a maximum penalty of two years.

Hamilton added he has seen "a substantial increase in people willing to run from police vehicles in the last three or four years."

He said he thinks part of the reason is that it has become acceptable to defy police. Another, he said, is police have had to adopt restrictive pursuit policies.

"Criminals know and it gives them a metaphorical 'free pass' to go and commit any crime they want," Hamilton said. "They figure most police agencies will show up and if they run, officers will turn off their lights and go away. That's a big problem."

The incident is the latest attack on a Michigan police officer trying to arrest a suspect or respond to an emergency.

Last month, a Lincoln Park police officer and a suspect were hospitalized after a narcotics investigation led to gunfire.

On Nov. 6, a Jackson police officer was wounded and a suspect killed in a shooting that followed a vehicle chase.

In September, a Jackson County man allegedly pointed a gun at a sheriff's deputy after fleeing from him on a riding mower. The man was charged last month.

A Detroit police officer was shot in the hand by a man having a mental health crisis on the city's west side.

Also in September, two Redford Township officers were injured during the arrest of a parole absconder who allegedly stole a van and led police on a car chase.