(Lander, WY) – A high speed chase took place through the streets of Lander and culminated in a crash on Sinks Canyon Road in the late afternoon of July 4, according to witness reports and the following press release from Lander Police Department (LPD) Police Chief Scott Peters.
“On Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at approximately 1:54 PM, the Lander Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from a female subject stating the driver of a red sport utility vehicle was going to “crash the car” and that she was being assaulted and held against her will by the driver, while heading into Lander.
“Lander Police Officers quickly intercepted the vehicle in the area of Mile Post 82 on WYO HWY 789, of which, the driver failed to yield and a high-speed pursuit was initiated.
“The suspect driver, later identified as a (17) year old Fremont County resident, led Lander Police Officers on an extremely high speed pursuit through Lander, with speeds measured at over 100 miles per hour.
“Due to the violence involved with the compliant, Lander Police Officers continued the pursuit to attempt to save the life of the passenger, driver and others.
“A decision was made to attempt to funnel the pursuit out of the city limits of Lander. The pursuit eventually ended near the 2900 block of WYO HWY 131 (Sinks Canyon Road), when the suspect vehicle became disabled due to a crash.
“The Lander Police Department recognizes today, of all days, as a very busy day in and around Lander due to the 4th of July holiday festivities. There were no crashes involving any pedestrians during the pursuit. The Lander Police Department would like to thank the community and our visitors for their patience and understanding during this stressful incident.
“The Lander Police Department would like to thank Division I Troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Lander Division of the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance.
“The suspect was taken into custody and treated at a local medical facility for injuries related to the crash. The suspect has been remanded to the custody of the Fremont County Detention Center where multiple charges will be recommended, including but not limited to; felony Eluding, DWUI and Reckless Endangering. Drugs and alcohol appear to be contributing factors.
Chief Peters also confirmed with County 10 that the woman held against her will was “safe” following the crash and apprehension of the suspect.
“Normally we would not chase on the 4th of the July with this amount of people in the city,” Chief Peters also added, “but under these circumstances we could not let the car with someone being possibly being kidnapped get away.”
County 10 will follow up with more details as they become available.
The following images are from door cam footage from a residence in Lander that captured a portion of the chase.
