(UPDATE, 4:55 p.m.) The Great Falls Police Department says that the incident occurred as a result of a drug investigation, and said that stop-sticks were used to end the chase.
No other details have been released at this point, including the name of the suspect.
We expect to get more information when court documents are filed later this week, and will post an update.
(1st Report, 11:58 a.m.) We do not yet know the circumstances, but we have received numerous reports of lots of activity involving law enforcement officers in Great Falls.
KRTV began receiving reports at about 11:25 a.m. on Tuesday. Initial reports indicate that a suspect may have ditched a vehicle and run away; it happened along 10th Avenue South between 14th and 20th Street.
We have received several messages about the activity, and unconfirmed reports that it may have started as a high-speed chase along Lower River Road - but have not yet been able to confirm the information.
Here are some of the messages we have received:
- "Cops driving all over and a totaled car in the middle of the road"
- "Huge police presence in the alley of 15th Ave., South and 10th cops caught a suspect"
- "10 police heading east today on 10th... Sheriff, unmarked and police and sirens."
- "It was on the first turn out of lower River Road. As I was headed south I had to pull over at the first turn out, sheriffs guns drawn a strip in the middle of the road, within seconds the cars took off and so did all the sheriffs. I think it ended on 14th St."
- "About an hour ago about 10 police cars, sheriffs and undercover vehicles were racing down by town pump on 10th."
- "There was 8 law enforcement looking for something near McDonald's on 10th. Highway patrol, sheriff's office, great falls police department, and unmarked cars with lights on."
- "About 15 minutes ago about 7 for 8 cop cars some of them the unmarked kind went screaming bye on Lower River Road heading Downriver"
- "Was there a high speed chase up by the mall today?"
- "Do we know what is going on on 10th and surrounding areas by taco bell there are tons of cops in area"
We have not received any alerts from the Great Falls Police Department or the Cascade County Sheriff's Office of any threat to the public.
We are working to get information about what happened and will post an update when we have details.
