BILLINGS — Residents all over South Billings were stunned Tuesday night when multiple law enforcement officers pursued and arrested a 32-year-old man near the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.
The pursuit began in the 200 block of Terry Avenue at 7:53 p.m., when suspect Jaylen Medicinebull tried to hit a police officer with an alleged stolen vehicle. That's when the officer fired his gun, leading to a chase involving the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, Billings Police Department, Montana Highway Patrol and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
Watch this video to hear from witnesses of the chase:
It was a pursuit that caught the eyes of many on the roadways. Ariel Granot was shocked by the number of law enforcement cars involved in the arrest, which happened in a ditch off of King Avenue East.
"I was just kind of like surprised and taken aback a little bit," Granot said Wednesday morning. "As I got closer, I saw that there was a van in a ditch and I thought 'Whoa, something serious must've went on.' That's not something I like to see in my town."
While Granot witnessed the end of the chase, others saw the action earlier on. Brother and sister Brantley and Tia Moore took a video of the suspect fleeing authorities on King Avenue East near Sam's Club, with a damaged vehicle that narrowly missed other drivers.
"We saw this white vehicle with sparks and no tires," Tia said Wednesday afternoon. "On the other side of traffic, they almost hit a couple of cars that were stopped at the stoplight."
The Moores curiously followed the chase to the end, where Medicinebull was captured without injury.
"At the end of it, there were more cop cars than I could count," Brantley said. "It was crazy."
And while many residents had close calls, perhaps none were more narrowly avoided than Heidi Vukasin's. She lives on Terry Avenue near the beginning of the pursuit, and the suspect drove through her front yard.
"It could've taken out the edge of my house," Vukasin said. "I was shocked at first and then it kind of turned to concern over what happened."
Vukasin said she wasn't home when the incident happened, and that returning home to the damage was disturbing. Her initial fear was for the children in her neighborhood.
"Shock, concern, surprise," Vukasin said of her initial reaction. "When you see a bunch of flashing lights and you see a bunch of damage, my first thought always goes to the kids."
Fortunately, Billings police confirmed that no one was injured in the pursuit, which is what many witnesses were concerned about.
"I'm just happy that everyone is okay and no lives were killed or anything," Brantley said.
