A Lewiston man is in the Bonneville County Jail after a police chase and standoff in eastern Idaho. On October 3 just after 10 p.m., Idaho State Police received a call from the Clark County Sheriff's Office saying one of their deputies was in pursuit of a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado headed southbound on Interstate 15. The chase was happening near milepost 179, about 12 miles north of Dubois.
The pickup was first reported to 911 dispatchers by several people for swerving all over the road. A Clark County Sheriff's deputy located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle did not pull over.
Idaho State Police troopers responded and deployed hollow spike trips at multiple locations on I-15. The vehicle went over the strips, flattening 3 tires. The suspect, later identified as Brian Bensen of Lewiston, continued to drive on the rims at slow speeds for over 20 miles. Bensen came to a stop near milepost 124, about 5 miles north of Idaho Falls.
Troopers and Deputies from Clark, Jefferson and Bonneville counties were in a standoff with Bensen, as he refused to exit his vehicle for approximately 45 minutes. Bensen was taken into custody just before 12:30 a.m. without further incident.
Traffic in both directions on Interstate 15 was blocked for around 45 minutes. Bensen was booked into the Bonneville County Jail.
