MISSOULA — A chase through Midtown Missoula ended in a brief standoff at a busy intersection on Tuesday afternoon when the driver refused to pull over for police.
Missoula Police Lieutenant Eddie Mclean told MTN News that at around 1:30 p.m. an officer attempted to pull over a silver Audi for expired plates.
The car also matched the description of one associated with a series of thefts.
![Missoula Pursuit Standoff](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a385254/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x740+0+0/resize/1280x740!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F32%2F2f%2F5aba7377473ba56d06145e568c9f%2Fmissoula-pursuit-standoff.jpeg)
Instead of pulling over, the driver took off eastbound down 14th Street, later hitting speeds of up to 60 mph on Russell Street.
The driver eventually came to a stop near the intersection of Brooks and Fairview where he sat in the car and refused to comply with officer demands to exit.
As armed officers surrounded the scene, a police negotiator worked for about 30 minutes to convince the driver to turn off the car, toss the keys out and surrender to the group of officers.
![Missoula Pursuit Standoff](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ebc7043/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1280x740+0+0/resize/1280x740!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe4%2Fc3%2F22287bed4a7ab42e15b577c27368%2Fmissoula-pursuit-standoff2.jpeg)
The suspect in the case -- 25-year-old Casey Deschamps -- was eventually taken into custody without incident and initially faces charges of criminal endangerment.
No injuries have been reported.
(1st REPORT) A suspect in a high-speed pursuit was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after a chase with law enforcement on a busy Missoula street.
A section of Brooks street in Missoula was closed Tuesday afternoon for a high-speed pursuit stop.
There are still several Missoula police and Montana Highway Patrol vehicles in the area of Brooks Street and Fairview near the Missoula County Fairgrounds.
Just before 2 p.m. the suspect surrendered and was taken into custody.
We will have more information on this developing story as it becomes available.
- information from Melissa Rafferty and Mark Thorsell included in this report