Man caught with multiple fake licenses, identities after police chase, arrest

Gongping Cheng (Rockingham County Jail photo)

HAMPTON FALLS - A California man was arrested Monday on multiple charges, including forgery, after a pursuit on Interstate 95.

The arrest occurred after a State Trooper spotted a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu speeding 98 mph in a posted 65 mph speed limit zone on I-95 northbound around 9:30 p.m. The trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop; however, the driver did not stop and a pursuit ensued.

The driver continued into Portsmouth, where a Portsmouth police officer deployed tire deflation devices, which disabled a tire on the vehicle, which continued on for a brief distance before coming to a stop near Exit 3.

After a brief struggle, the driver was taken into custody and identified as Gongping Cheng, 39, of Monterey Park, Calif, according to a Tuesday release from the Dept. of Safety. During the investigation, Troopers determined that Cheng had several fake driver's licenses from several different states with numerous false identities.

Cheng was charged with four felony counts of forgery, sixteen misdemeanor counts of driver's license prohibitions, and additional misdemeanor counts of disobeying an officer, reckless conduct, resisting arrest or detention, as well as a violation of reckless operation.

Cheng was held in preventive detention pending his arraignment in Portsmouth District Court.

All aspects of this incident remain under investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Patrick Vetter at Patrick.R.Vetter@dos.nh.gov.