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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Manhunt under way for elusive driver

Law enforcement officials search for a man believed to have stolen a vehicle and lead a pursuit with an Idaho State Patrol officer on Highway 95 before ramming the officer's vehicle. The man then fled to Cougar Gulch Road, where he ditched the stolen vehicle and fled on foot. We will update with more information as time goes on. (Jake Parrish/Coeur d'Alene Press photo)
Law enforcement officials search for a man believed to have stolen a vehicle and lead a pursuit with an Idaho State Patrol officer on Highway 95 before ramming the officer's vehicle. The man then fled to Cougar Gulch Road, where he ditched the stolen vehicle and fled on foot. We will update with more information as time goes on. (Jake Parrish/Coeur d'Alene Press photo)

Kootenai County authorities are still searching for a man who escaped on foot after fleeing from Idaho State Police, and are asking parents in the area to take extra care as children get out of school. Idaho State Police attempted to pull over a car over just before 7 a.m. near Coeur d’Alene, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The driver refused to stop and fled off of Interstate 90 to U.S. Highway 95, initially heading south before turning around and driving towards Cougar Gulch Road. The driver then fled from the car into the wooded area off the road to the south, the release said.

During the pursuit, the man rammed the trooper’s vehicle, the release said. One gunshot was fired, and investigators are working to determine whether it was fired by a trooper or the suspect. Multiple law enforcement agencies and a helicopter from the Spokane Sheriff’s Office have been searching for the man Tuesday but have not been able to locate him. The release said he was possibly in his 30s and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

The Coeur d’Alene School District is asking parents and other caregivers to meet students at school buses Tuesday afternoon, and to ensure that no child, no matter his or her age, goes home to an empty house. A news release from the school district said buses may be delayed because of sheriff’s checkpoints. Schools affected include Lake City High School, Venture High School, Lakes Magnet Middle School and Winton Elementary. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 446-1300. Residents in the area should be on the lookout for the man/SR.



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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