Tucker in Too Big a Rush

Tue., Apr. 19, 2005 5:05 PM PDT by Charlie Amter

Break out the Rush Hour puns--Chris Tucker has been arrested for speeding.

The comic actor was busted in Georgia over the weekend after being clocked at a cool 109 miles per hour on a stretch of Georgia's Interstate 20--nearly 40 mph over the speed limit--and then leading police on a high-speed chase.

Tucker ended up in McDuffie County Jail briefly Sunday for the speedometer-burying incident, in which, according to the Georgia State Patrol, the 33-year-old at one point gunned his 2005 Bentley up to 120 during the 12-mile pursuit.

Per Georgia State Patrol spokesperson Larry Schnall, a trooper tried in vain to get Tucker to pull over.

"The trooper crossed the grass median with blue lights flashing and sirens and attempted to get the vehicle to stop," Schnall said.

"As the trooper approached [Tucker's] vehicle the vehicle continued to accelerate at a high rate of speed. The trooper was traveling at 120 trying to catch the vehicle. The trooper radioed ahead to other troopers and asked them to set up the stop stick device. As the trooper continued to pursue the suspect vehicle the Bentley continued to accelerate," Schnall continued.

He says the only reason Tucker stopped is because he hit a rough patch and was "forced to slow down."

Once stopped, Tucker was ordered out of his car at gunpoint, then arrested and taken to the Warren County facility for processing.

He was rung up on counts of reckless driving and fleeing to elude. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine, though it's doubtful Tucker would spend anytime behind bars for the incident. The Atlanta native was sprung after posting bail.

According to police, the lead-footed funnyman claimed he was on his way to church--always a nice move to tell cops you are late to church when you're trying to outrace them--and simply did not hear or notice the patrol car in his rearview mirror.

Tucker, whose career has been strangely silent of late, is said to be finally ready to make Rush Hour 3.

The long-in-the-works sequel had initially been slated to go into production for a 2004 release but was shelved when original Rush Hour director Brett Ratner had a scheduling conflict.

Last month, in a story about Hollywood deal-making, the New Yorker reported that Tucker will get a $20 million-plus payday for Rush Hour 3, along with 20 percent of the receipts.

The first Rush Hour, a 1998 action-comedy mismatching Tucker and Jackie Chan as L.A. and Hong Kong detectives forced to team up on a case, was budgeted at $35 million and grossed more than $140 million domestically; the 2001 sequel brought everyone back at a cost of $90 million but did even better business, taking in more than $226 million at the North American box office.