8 hours ago
Fleeing suspect drives 7 miles the wrong way on Interstate 84, causes road closures
Multiple roads in the Boise area were blocked off after police attempted to apprehend a suspect who drove for miles on the wrong side of Interstate 84 before fleeing on foot.
An Ada County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to stop a truck at about 10 a.m. Sunday, near the South Seabreeze Way and West Lake Hazel Road intersection in Boise, the sheriff's office said in a news release Sunday afternoon.
The sheriff's office said the 43-year-old driver had two active warrants out for failure to appear in court, as well as being connected to an aggravated battery reported last week.
The driver refused to pull over, leading the deputy to pursue him along several roads, including Lake Hazel Road, North Orchard Street, West Victory Road, West Gowen Road and ultimately onto I-84, according to the release.
Law enforcement said they called off the pursuit because of public safety concerns after the suspect began traveling the wrong way on the interstate, driving west in the eastbound lanes.
'Partnering agencies immediately shut down the eastbound lanes of the interstate,' the sheriff's office said in the release. '(The suspect) continued to drive on the wrong side of the interstate for approximately seven miles.'
The suspect, Timothy Steinnon, then drove off I-84 and through a fence near Top Golf at the Eagle Road exit, before abandoning his vehicle near Rolling Hill Drive in Meridian.
'Initial information indicated Steinnon might be armed, prompting a CodeRed alert to residents nearby, advising them to shelter in place,' the sheriff's office said.
Law enforcement found the suspect hiding in an outbuilding after the property owner called to report him.
The sheriff's office said the Ada County SWAT and crisis negotiation teams responded and, 'after a period of negotiation, Steinnon exited the structure and was taken into custody without further incident.'
The sheriff's office confirmed to the Statesman by email that this incident was the reason that the Boise Police Department asked drivers to avoid Overland Road west of Cloverdale Road for more than three hours.
In addition to the warrants already out for his arrest, the suspect was arrested on felony charges of fleeing and eluding law enforcement, and misdemeanors for unlawful entry and resisting and obstructing law enforcement.
The sheriff's office said the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
