A driver made state troopers in Nebraska sweat on Monday night after leading them on a high-speed chase that lasted about 16 minutes.
The driver, whom authorities have not publicly identified due to her young age of 13, is said to be from Colorado. Police eventually took her into protective custody along with a passenger in the vehicle during the chase, an 11-year-old boy.
State Troopers, along with officers from the Shelton Police Department and the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the incident, according to a news release issued after a trooper successfully stopped the children driving down an interstate highway at dangerously high speeds.
The pursuit began at around 9:30 pm on Monday, January 16, when a state trooper saw a vehicle driving 35 miles per hour. The car, a Nissan Pathfinder, was heading east on Interstate 80. The trooper attempted to stop the vehicle near the city of Kearney, but the driver did not cooperate.
The Nissan sped up, and the driver fled at a high speed.
According to the statement by the Nebraska State Patrol, the vehicle would at times reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Another trooper deployed stop sticks at the 288-mile marker to slow the vehicle down.
The girl then exited at the Shelton interchange and started diving north, this time at a much slower speed.
Another trooper saw a chance to stop the Nissan and took it. He performed a tactical maneuver, forcing the vehicle to stop. He took the teenage girl and the boy into protective custody without incident, according to the statement.
A search inside the vehicle turned up a gun, marijuana, and some drug gear, the agency said.
Nebraska’s Motor Vehicle Department states that drivers are only eligible for a learner’s permit at least two months before their 15th birthday. In addition, they can only drive if they have a licensed driver in the car who is at least 21 years old. A licensed driver must accompany them for a year until they turn 16 and are eligible for a driver’s license.
In another wild police chase earlier this week, police in North Carolina arrested a man driving a stolen tractor while wielding a knife.
Officers from the Boone Police Department got complaints about a man driving a tractor erratically and trying to hit people in a parking lot on Tuesday morning.
A police chase ensued, with eight cop cars trailing behind the man as he swerved and hit stop signs along the road. He was arrested a few minutes later when officers shot his tires, forcing him to stop.
