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Council Bluffs pursuit results in the arrest of several teens

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December 12th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Authorities say a group of teenage males are in custody after a police chase that started with an alert from Iowa authorities. The Daily NonPareil report that at around 1:15 p.m. Thursday, a caller notified the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Transportation motor vehicle  enforcement of an allegedly stolen Hummer H2, with the driver reportedly flashing a handgun.

Pottawattamie County Communication Center staff used transportation department cameras to locate the Hummer on westbound U.S. Highway 370, according to the Iowa State Patrol. The patrol notified authorities in Nebraska as the Hummer crossed the Bellevue toll bridge, though the agency did not actively pursue the suspects. According to the Bellevue Police Department:

Around 1:30 p.m. a Bellevue police sergeant spotted the Hummer – which had been stolen from an Omaha dealership – and began a pursuit from Bellevue Blvd. North to Fort Crook Road, before terminating when speeds increased. The Hummer was later found northbound on the boulevard, where officers spotted the occupants bail from the Hummer near Chandler Road. Officers chased the occupants and apprehended the 15-year-old driver. Police found handgun ammunition in the vehicle but no gun.

An hour-long search didn’t net the other young men who’d fled the vehicle, but further investigation led to a house in south Omaha where two teenagers – 18-year-old Jose Garcia and a 17-year-old – were taken into custody by Omaha police and turned over to Bellevue police. The pair had fled the Hummer and called friends that picked them up. A 14-year old, fourth suspect, was later located in Bellevue walking out of the area of the search, having been spotted by a resident in the neighborhood.

Bellevue police said the driver and the 14-year-old were pulled over while driving the Hummer around 1:25 a.m. Thursday at 27th and Emiline streets. The driver sped away after initially stopping for police and the officer terminated the pursuit in South Omaha. The 15-year-old driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property, two counts of flight to avoid arrest, two counts of willful reckless driving and criminal impersonation.

Bellevue Police say the 14-year-old was cited for obstructing and false reporting, while Garcia and the 17-year-old were cited for obstructing.