Police arrested two 20-year-old Caldwell men on Wednesday afternoon after one of them fled a traffic stop on Interstate 84, leading to a police pursuit, vehicle crash and wildfire.
According to an Idaho State Police news report, a trooper attempted to stop a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix near the Ten Mile Road exit for reckless driving. Officials said the driver fled eastbound and the trooper pursued him.
The trooper stopped the pursuit when the driver headed toward downtown Boise on Interstate 184, the news release said.
Officials said the driver crashed the car a short time later and it caught fire, sparking a brush blaze. An Ada County emergency services report showed a vehicle fire around the same time as the pursuit near the Franklin Road Flying Wye exit. It was the second Boise crash resulting in a vehicle fire in the past several days.
Police said the driver fled on foot and was arrested a short distance from the crash, near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and McMullen Street. He was arrested on suspicion of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, which is a felony charge, as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest and driving under the influence.
His charges had not yet appeared in the state’s online court system as of Thursday afternoon.
The vehicle’s passenger was arrested on suspicion of three misdemeanors, including marijuana possession and being party to a crime.
