Joseph Collins, 30, faces charges for allegedly driving onto a Tucson airfield and then leading police on a chase on Tucson streets.

A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly entering the airfield at Tucson International Airport last week, prompting a police chase, officials said.

Joseph Collins, Jr., 30, allegedly breached the airfield's south-side perimeter fence about 1:20 a.m. and then breached another fence near Million Air, one of the airport's tenants on West Valencia Road, said Jessie Butler, an airport spokeswoman.

Airport police chased the vehicle until the pursuit went on along West Valencia Road and Tucson police took over as the driver approached South 12th Avenue and West Drexel Road, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson police spokesman.

During the chase, Collins called 911 and claimed to have a bomb in the vehicle, Dugan said after Friday's incident.

A patrol officer used his squad car to hit the vehicle, keeping it from going into the parking lot of a nearby Circle K. It was not a major collision, Dugan added.

Collins was taken into custody.

No bomb was found and no one was injured.

Collins faces charges of aggravated DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia from Tucson police, as well as aggravated assault, criminal damage and trespassing charges from Tucson Airport Authority.Β 

Tucson airport is continuing "business as usual" after officers' immediate response to the incident, Butler said after the incident.


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Contact Star reporter Shaq Davis at 573-4218 or sdavis@tucson.com

On Twitter: @ShaqDavis1