WEST DES MOINES – Police responded to a report of a woman with a mental breakdown then she stole their squad car and raced through Iowa’s capitol City before stop sticks shut her party down.
West Des Moines police report one of their squad cars was stolen then “immediately” recovered early Thursday morning – nearly 20 miles away. Officers were dispatched to the area of S. 60th Street and Village View Drive around 2:00 am. They were called for assistance with an adult female with an apparent mental health concern. During the chaos of their initial contact, the woman was able to get into the squad car and drive away. Officials tracked the car’s location with GPS and quickly caught up to it.
The pursuit went north on I-35 then east on I80/35. The pursuit reached a top speed of about 125 miles per hour before the suspect his stop sticks near 86th street. They continued on and turned south on Highway 65. The suspect came to rest near 8th Street and Highway 65 in Altoona. The offender was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for evaluation and treatment of the original mental health concern.
One additional police car sustained minor damage. No other vehicles were damaged. No serious physical injuries were sustained.
West Des Moines Police were assisted by Iowa State Patrol, Urbandale Police, Altoona Police and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
This case remains open for investigation and criminal charges are pending.