A high-speed chase on Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs early this morning ended when a police officer shot the driver.
Council Bluffs Police attempted a traffic stop on a pickup around 3 a.m. near a construction contracting company that was not open for business. The driver of the pickup fled the area at high speeds and in a reckless manner. The pursuit entered Interstate 29 southbound before shifting to a frontage road and eventually back to I-29, after the suspect drove through a ditch that separates the roadways.
When driver of the pickup intentionally rammed two Council Bluffs police vehicles on I-29, an officer fired and struck the driver. The unidentified 28-year old man was removed from his vehicle and taken into custody. Officers on-scene rendered medical aid until the Council Bluffs Fire Department personnel arrived.
The man was transported to an Omaha area hospital by ambulance for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm and cuts to his faces. His injuries were not considered life-threatening. Two of the officers involved were treated and released from a local hospital. The name of the officer who discharged his firearm was not immediately released. The southbound lanes of I-29 were shut down for several hours as the scene was documented and processed. The incident remains under investigation. Charges against the pickup driver are pending.
(By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic)