What started as a report of a stolen car Tuesday morning ended in the arrest of two Lincoln residents following a lengthy pursuit that crisscrossed the city and required help from the Nebraska State Patrol's helicopter, according to authorities.
Police first responded to 13th and E streets shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday after a caller reported their 2015 Chevrolet Equinox had just been stolen, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.
Officers spotted and tried to stop the car numerous times in the subsequent pursuit, including at 11th and C streets and again at Williams Street and Sheridan Boulevard, Vollmer said.
Pilots with the State Patrol took flight in the agency's helicopter to help police track the stolen car, Vollmer said, and a trooper later deployed stop sticks — sometimes called spike strips — near 32nd and Fair streets.
Stolen Vehicle
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LPD & NSP Air
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Following a stolen vehicle occupied by two.
— LNK Scanner (@LNKScanner)
The car's driver, 39-year-old Tony Smith, continued driving on now-punctured tires until he stopped the Chevy near 40th and Y streets, Vollmer said.
Both Smith and his passenger, a 40-year-old woman, then fled from the area on foot, according to police.
Officers arrested the 40-year-old woman in a nearby backyard on suspicion of resisting arrest and assault on an officer after she was allegedly combative with police as they took her into custody, Vollmer said.
Police caught up with Smith as he tried to enter a friend's home near 39th and Apple streets, Vollmer said, and arrested him on suspicion of numerous charges, including DUI, flight to avoid arrest and willful reckless driving.
Police took both of them to the Lancaster County jail.