If there is a criminal’s handbook, you would think it would explain that trying to elude the Wyoming Highway Patrol on a remote stretch of interstate highway in Wyoming that has few exits (all of which pretty much lead to nowhere) has a success rate of basically zero.
Rapid City, South Dakota, resident Tinan Sky Trudell apparently skipped that chapter (if the handbook exists) and is now in custody following a pursuit that took place on I-25 Tuesday morning.
Turns out a trooper identified a stolen vehicle traveling on the interstate and attempted to pull the car over.
The driver of the 2017 Hyundai Veloster apparently did not agree to be pulled over and instead gunned the car, thinking she could outrun the Wyoming Highway Patrol despite being on a road with very few options.
While we have never heard of a Hyundai Veloster before, it became apparent after one quick Google search that it would not fare well in an off-roading situation.
The driver was south of Wheatland (and heading south) meaning there were only a handful of exits in the 70 miles to Cheyenne thereby making the prospects for escape likely dim — unless the vehicle could sprout wings.
We again resorted to Google and found out that on-demand wings were not an option in a 2017 Hyundai Veloster.
How did it play out?
Like they all do. The Highway Patrol deployed spike strips. The car’s tires deflated. The driver, apparently thinking there was still a way out, kept going on the vehicle’s rims.
The trooper attempted a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuver and the stolen vehicle came to a stop.
At which point the driver apparently gave up.
Now Trudell faces a laundry list of charges including: possession of a controlled substance (shocker), possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing to elude, reckless driving, speeding, and other traffic-related offenses.
