Nobody was hurt on Wednesday when a high-speed chase on Idaho 55 that began near Cascade ended with shots fired more than 10 miles later, according to the Valley County Sheriff’s Office.
The chase began at about 5:10 p.m. when Meridian resident Christian Ryan, 23, would not pull over in Cascade after a deputy attempted to stop him for speeding, Sheriff Kevin Copperi said.
Ryan then began trying to evade capture, reaching speeds “north of 100 miles per hours on several occasions,” while driving south on Idaho 55, Copperi told Valley Lookout.
Ryan eventually lost control of the car and drove off the road near Round Valley Road, at which point he continued to resist arrest, Cooperi said.
“After he was stopped, he drove his car toward our deputy and he had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the black pickup,” Copperi said.
Rubber pellet rounds deployed
Deputies fired rubber pellets known as “less than lethal rounds” at the tinted glass on the truck after Ryan continued ignoring commands to exit the vehicle.
“If someone tried to intentionally hurt our deputies, we will take decisive action and bring you to justice,” Copperi said. “That is what we did. Thankfully, nobody, including Ryan, was injured.”
Ryan, the only person inside the truck, was then arrested and charged with driving under the influence, aggravated assault on law enforcement, felony eluding, and resisting arrest.
He was being held in the Valley County Jail in Cascade as of Friday morning on $200,000 bail, Valley County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Naugle said. Ryan’s next court appearance is on Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m.
Ryan is also subject to a no-bond probation violation warrant out of Ada County, where he is currently on felony probation through 2028 in connection to a May 2023 aggravated assault charge.
Wednesday’s incident marked Ryan’s second driving under the influence charge since July 2022, according to online court records. He also has been issued three speeding tickets since 2020.
