Kootenai County deputies searching for suspect in Cougar Gulch area, asking parents to not let students come home to an empty house

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 County 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.