October 5, 2022 |
During the early morning hours of Monday, October 3rd, two male juveniles went on a wild crime spree through three counties.
Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said the two suspects stole a vehicle in Casper and drove it to Bairoil. Once there, they stole another vehicle. Ward said they destroyed the two stolen cars before police had responded to the crime.
Pictured above: Vehicles involved in the incident. Photo by Gary and Linda Engstrom.
An eyewitness described the two vehicles to Bigfoot 99 as a Jeep Commander and a Chevy Tahoe. They were still in the ditch Monday morning when people were heading out to work.
The suspects did not stop there. After rolling the first two vehicles, the pair stole a full-size pick-up truck from a resident in Bairoil. The owner of the truck heard the youths and followed them south on 287, toward Rawlins in another vehicle. The man called 911 and told Rawlins PD that he was tailing the suspect. He also informed the dispatcher a handgun was in the truck.
Rawlins police established a roadblock on the north side of town in an attempt to stop the vehicle on Third Street. The suspects tried to evade the police. Ward explained what happened next.
Pictured above: File photo of Carbon County Jail. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
The two males fled south on foot with police in pursuit. Officers caught up with one of the suspects and took him into custody around the area of Locust and I-80.
Officers continued to search for the other suspect. A short time later, the second juvenile was spotted by an eagle-eyed employee of a local convenience store who called the police.
Both juveniles were taken into custody. They face charges in three different counties – Natrona, Sweetwater, and Carbon. Chief Ward described some of the charges the young men face.
The handgun reported to be in the stolen truck was recovered in an alley on the south side of town.
No injuries were reported. The suspects suffered only minor scrapes and bruises. They were treated at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County and released into police custody. No officers or members of the public were harmed.
The owner of the truck believes that his vehicle is totaled. Ward said the suspects caused only minor damage to the town.
Ward said there was no evidence that drugs played any part in the event. He attributes the suspects’ behavior to poor decision making.
Because they are minors, no information is being released about the suspects. A source told Bigfoot 99 that the two males are around 13 years old, but we could not confirm their age.
