Overnight city-wide pursuit ends with no arrests

SIOUX FALLS — A lengthy pursuit around Sioux Falls ended Friday morning without the arrest of a suspect wanted by police after the involved officers terminated the chase.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, law enforcement officers in Sioux Falls came across a vehicle that had been reported stolen near the intersection of 60th Street North and Minnesota Avenue. Police spokesman Sam Clemens said the vehicle was being driven by a known suspect wanted for “a couple crimes,” including aggravated assault.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the vehicle took off. Clemens said the pursuit headed west, crossing Marion Road and eventually reaching the intersection of West 12th Street and Sertoma Road. It continued down to 57th Street, before crossing the Interstate 29 overpass and continuing along 41st Street.

The suspect cut through multiple central Sioux Falls neighborhoods before returning to Cliff Avenue and heading north. Eventually, Clemens said, the officers engaged in the pursuit terminated the chase near the intersection of 54th Street North and Cliff Avenue, citing high speeds.

No arrests have been made in connection with the pursuit, and neither the suspect’s name nor the vehicle’s description was released.

Clemens said the Sioux Falls Police Department’s pursuit policy allows individual officers to determine whether to chase a fleeing vehicle based on a set of criteria including the seriousness of a crime and the potential danger to public safety.

After an officer declares a pursuit, uninvolved supervisors monitor the pursuit and determine whether it should continue. That call is based on a multitude of factors, such as road conditions, speed, traffic volume, location, time of day and more.

Clemens noted that traffic levels during the overnight hours were low, which contributed to the pursuit’s lengthy distance, adding that state law requires law enforcement to activate their lights and sirens anytime traffic laws are being broken by authorities, including during pursuits.

No crashes or injuries were reported as a result of the pursuit.