Man Taken into Custody After Chase, Standoff in Eastern Idaho
(KLIX) – A northern Idaho man is in custody after leading police on a chase – and then initiating a standoff – on Thursday night in eastern Idaho.
Brian Benson, of Lewiston, was booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
Idaho State Police said the agency was advised that a deputy from Clark County was in pursuit of the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck heading southbound on Interstate 15, about 12 miles north of Dubois.
Previously, the vehicle had been reported by a number of people to have been driving recklessly. When the deputy tried to have the driver pull over and stop, the suspect, later identified as Benson, continued driving.
The chase led state police to use spike strips on the road to stop Benson. The spikes flattened three tires of the pickup, police said, but Benson continued to drive for more than 20 miles at slow speed on the rims.
When he eventually stopped on the interstate about five miles north of Idaho Falls, he refused to get out of the vehicle and police said they were in a standoff with Benson for about 45 minutes. During this time period, traffic was blocked in both directions on the interstate.
Police said Benson was taken into custody a little before 12:30 a.m. Friday without incident.