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Traffic stop in Rocky Boy leads to car chase, standoff with wanted Box Elder man

Posted at 6:14 PM, Jul 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-25 20:15:11-04

HILL COUNTY — A 29-year-old Box Elder man is in custody following a traffic stop conducted by Rocky Boy police Wednesday afternoon in which he engaged authorities in a car chase that ended in Box Elder with a standoff and a short foot pursuit.

According to Hill County Undersheriff Stan Martin, authorities discovered Thompson St. Pierre was wanted on a federal warrant during a traffic stop at around 4:36 p.m. Wednesday on the Rocky Boy Reservation. After being pulled over, St. Pierre engaged Rocky Boy police in a vehicle pursuit while a 24-year-old woman, Sabrina Potter, was also in the car.

St. Pierre led authorities outside the reservation and into Hill County, Martin told MTN News, eventually ending up in the Beaver Creek Park Area in Box Elder. Deputies were able to stop the vehicle, Martin said, but St. Pierre had jumped out of the car prior to the stop.

St. Pierre hid in a coulee area with several trees and thick brush. When Rocky Boy police arrived, St. Pierre drew a handgun, prompting a standoff. Authorities contained St. Pierre to the coulee area, Martin said.

As police started to close in, St. Pierre attempted to run away. A “short foot pursuit” followed, ending in an open field in which St. Pierre was apprehended and taken into custody around 11:52 p.m. Wednesday.

No shots were fired during the incident, and no officers were injured, Martin said.

The responding agencies included the Montana Highway Patrol; U.S. Border Patrol; Blaine County Sheriff’s Office; Hill County Search and Rescue and Sheriff’s Office; FBI; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Rocky Boy Police Department; Havre Police Department; and the Great Falls Police Department High Risk Unit. The Bearpaw Fire Department and Havre ambulances were on standby throughout the incident.

St. Pierre faces charges of assault on a police officer and fleeing police as well as a federal warrant — among other charges. He was taken into custody at Hill County Jail.

The woman who accompanied St. Pierre in the vehicle was taken back to the Box Elder Reservation, according to Martin, where she is likely to face charges from the pursuit.