Felony charges of fleeing a police officer and drug possession have been filed against a 25-year-old Mankato man who was arrested Friday.

Marco Antonio Murrieta Jr. was allegedly driving a pickup involved in a police pursuit, which started on Madison Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. It ended in an alley between North Sixth and North Fifth streets a short time later.

A Mankato police officer reported Murrieta was following him closely down the Madison Avenue hill in a pickup truck. When the officer sped up to 50 mph, the pickup truck did, too. When the officer changed lanes, so did the pickup.

The officer then pulled over, allowed the pickup to pass and the pursuit started, the report said. After Murrieta was stopped, he allegedly attempted to swallow prescription pills. In court, Murrieta said he had a prescription for the medication.