Apparently three years behind a desk hasn't slowed down Howell police Chief Andrew Kudrick.
He chased down a knife-wielding woman Thursday morning to end a wild police chase on Route 9 in the township.
Diane Maloney, 51, of Freehold, was driving a Ford Focus when police say "for no apparent reason" she began brake-checking - the act of driving in front of someone and pumping your breaks to slow them down - a 22-year-old woman and her family around 11:30 a.m. on Route 9.
Maloney then flashed an 8-inch folding knife out of her window at the woman and her family, police said.
The woman tried to drive around Maloney, but she continued to block them in, according to police.
A Howell police officer spotted Maloney and attempted to stop her on Route 9 south near Georgia Tavern Road.
Maloney did not stop. Police said she took off on Route 9 headed southbound and then busted an illegal U-turn around a concrete barrier near New Friendship Road.
That's when Kudrick, who was on-duty in his unmarked police vehicle, spotted Maloney and saw her holding the knife, according to a statement from the Howell Police Department.
Maloney refused to stop for the chief, instead continuing on Route 9 northbound, weaving in and out of traffic. Maloney approached a red traffic light at the intersection of Route 9 and Georgia Tavern Road. She drove around the stopped traffic, and then collided with a 2011 Toyota Rav 4, police said.
She exited her vehicle and tried to run away, but Kudrick chased her down and made the arrest. Police said the knife was found in her vehicle.
Maloney was charged with eluding, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of a weapon and assault by auto. Additional charges may be filed after Maloney's toxicology reports come back, police said.
Maloney, who suffered minor injuries, was taken to the Monmouth County jail after she was treated at the hospital.
This is not Maloney's first brush with law enforcement in Howell.
It turns out she has two prior reports of road rage incidents in August and earlier this month.
In one incident report, obtained through the state Open Public Records Act, Maloney reportedly randomly walked up to a woman sitting in her car in the Walgreens parking lot and yelled "f*** you" at her and then flashed the middle finger.
In August, a woman who was sitting in her car waiting for a friend to meet her at 7-Eleven was confronted by Maloney, a report from the incident said. Maloney, the report said, was parked next to the woman and got out of her vehicle and told the other woman, "F*** you, you mother f*****. I'm going to kill you." The woman tried to get back into her car to get away from Maloney, when Maloney kicked the door shut, according to the report.
In both cases, the victims were able to get a license plate for Maloney's vehicle and report it to the police.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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