A reckless driver fled police early Friday afternoon in Columbia.

At about 1:30 p.m., a Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputy observed a white Chevy Malibu bearing license plates that did not match the vehicle.

The Malibu ran a red light on Route 3 at South Main Street in Columbia, then went off the roadway and into the grass median. The deputy activated emergency lights for a traffic stop attempt, but the Malibu sped north on Route 3, then west onto I-255 toward Missouri.