Driver crashes vehicle after Brookings chase

BROOKINGS The driver of a vehicle involved in a high-speed chase and pursuit in Brookings that spilled out onto Interstate 29 ended up in the emergency room at Brookings Health System after launching their vehicle over an embankment on Tuesday night.

A blow-by-blow account of the incident was provided in a Wednesday afternoon news release from the Brookings Police Department. In it, Lt. Joe Fishbaugher wrote:

• On Tuesday at around 9:53 p.m., dispatchers received two calls in regard to a white Chevrolet Impala driving recklessly and at high rates of speed on Western Avenue between Sixth Street and the U.S. Highway 14 Bypass.

• Shortly after, dispatchers received another call regarding the Impala. This time the vehicle was driving recklessly and chasing another car on Sixth Street by Jackrabbit Avenue. BPD officers were told the driver of the Impala was allegedly involved in assaulting a female on Main Street prior to chasing the other car.

• After law enforcers found the Impala, it entered the Interstate 29 on-ramp at Exit 132 and headed northbound at a high rate of speed. The Impala left I-29 at Exit 133, leading to the U.S. 14 Bypass.

• The Impalas driver reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, and this resulted in driver being unable to negotiate the intersection of the U.S. 14 Bypass and Exit 133 off-ramp. The driver launched the vehicle over an embankment, where it came to rest with the driver trapped inside. The driver was extricated by the Brookings Fire Department and taken to the emergency room at Brookings Health.

Other agencies involved in the incident were the Brookings County Sheriffs Office and Brookings Ambulance.

If you have any information about this incident or the person(s) involved, contact Fishbaugher at 605-692-2113, or submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at 605-692-STOP (7867), using the Online Web Tip page at brookingsareacrimestoppers.com, or by downloading the P3 Tips app.

If the tip provided regarding criminal activity leads to the arrest of those responsible, the person who submitted it may be eligible for a cash reward.