Wyoming Highway Patrol release:
Around 12:04 a.m. this morning, Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) Troopers were notified of a vehicle all over the roadway. The complainant also stated the driver of the complaint vehicle was turning his headlights on and off. As units were responding, a second call reported the car had possibly crashed.
Around 12:18 a.m., a WHP Trooper tried to stop the vehicle, a 2014 Subaru south of the Port of Entry on Interstate 25 in Laramie County, but the driver failed to stop. The driver initially fled south before crossing the interstate and driving northbound. The driver displayed reckless behavior by driving with no headlights on, vacating the driver’s seat by crawling into the backseat while the vehicle was still moving and entering opposite travel lanes. The driver continued to elude law enforcement officers even after several attempts to perform Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuvers and utilize spike strips.
The pursuit changed travel direction multiple times on the interstate, and the driver continued to exhibit erratic behavior causing imminent danger to the public. Around milepost 15 on Interstate 25, pursuing law enforcement units were able to use their patrol vehicles to pin the car to the side of the road as the driver started driving southbound in the northbound lanes towards stopped traffic.
The driver failed to comply with orders from the troopers. Law enforcement officers were able to use less than lethal force to take the driver into custody. Once the driver was detained, it was learned the driver had self-inflicted cuts on his arm.
Troopers administered first aid to control the bleeding on the driver’s arms, and he was transported to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.
The driver of the vehicle has been identified as a 33-year-old Cheyenne, Wyoming resident Nickolas David Jones.
Jones was charged with fleeing to elude, interference with a peace officer, careless driving, driving without lighted lamps, driving a vehicle with metal rims in contact with the roadway, driving without a seatbelt, and driving the wrong way on the interstate.
The Cheyenne Police Department and Laramie County Sheriff’s Department assisted with this incident.