(WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14) Three people were taken into custody in Idaho, in connection with a shooting in Jefferson County on Tuesday afternoon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests around three o’clock Wednesday on Facebook. Sheriff Craig Doolittle said the suspects were apprehended without incident, at a casino in the Blackfoot, Idaho, area.
Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Jefferson County deputy tried to pull over a blue Chrysler 300 on Interstate 15, between Montana City and Clancy. Doolittle said the deputy saw the car driving erratically – drifting over the line and keeping its blinker on without pulling over.
Authorities said the car didn’t stop, and someone fired multiple shots at the deputy. Doolittle said the shots broke the patrol vehicle’s windshield and dented the hood, but the deputy wasn’t injured.
The suspects’ vehicle fled at high speed, north on I-15. The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office reported it was later seen heading east on Canyon Ferry Road. Leaders believed three men were inside.
Doolittle said, when the suspects were taken into custody in Idaho, they were not in the same vehicle.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident.
“All the cases are important to us, we want them all solved quickly, but any time somebody gets shot at, it’s a serious crime and it deserves everybody’s cooperation and attention,” said Doolittle.
Doolittle said it’s not clear yet when the suspects might be brought back to Jefferson County. He said it still hasn’t been determined whether they will also face charges in Idaho.
He thanked everyone who assisted his office during the search.
“Not only all the other agencies that helped – our surrounding agencies, out-of-state agencies, federal agencies – but also the public,” he said. “All the tips we got and all of the information they called into us, the information in the comments they left on our Facebook page – they’re greatly appreciated, and they were a big help.”