BOZEMAN – Investigators in Gallatin County said it was a tense and dangerous situation Thursday night and early Friday morning between Belgrade and Bozeman.
Bozeman police said a high-speed chase ended with the man who led the pursuit getting injured, along with an officer.
Bozeman City Police Captain Dana McNeil said a two-hour long ordeal ended at the intersection of Huffine Lane and Cottonwood Road.
It all started with a call from the man’s friend, fearing for the suspect’s life.
“Anybody else that’s on the road with an individual who is acting with complete disregard for their safety, there’s a risk,” Captain McNeil said.
That’s how Captain McNeil described the scene Thursday night and early Friday morning.
When both Gallatin County Sheriff’s deputies and city police found him, the captain said the situation got worse with the suspect weaving in and out of early-morning traffic.
“This went on for roughly two hours of us locating this individual, losing the individual and then, ultimately, came back into town,” McNeil said.
Officers systematically called off the pursuit out of precaution for other drivers, as the chase went from Huffine to Cottonwood, Cottonwood to Norse, over to Jackrabbit, then back.
Captain McNeil said the chase, in part, came up through Cottonwood and eventually came all the way back to the intersection of Huffine and Cottonwood, where it came to a stop.
“The individual basically stopped in the middle of traffic,” McNeil said. “Our officers engaged in negotiations with that individual who was believed to be armed with a weapon and did an awesome job of expressing concern for that individual.”
The initial report told officers that the man might have had a gun.
Captain McNeil added that his officers were able to reach the man by phone.
“He was refusing to follow the officers’ request,” McNeil said. “Ultimately, the decision was made to remove him from the vehicle.”
That escalated.
“Both that individual and one of my officers received minor injuries during that,” McNeil said. “I know that a taser was deployed.”
No one else was hurt, something the captain said was remarkable.
In the end, the man was arrested, a conclusion that McNeil said, could have ended a lot worse.
The man was charged with criminal endangerment.
Captain McNeil said there could be more charges added.
He is set to be in court next week.
Cody Boyer – MTN News
