Interstate 25 Closed For Nine Hours After Gunfight Erupts South of Wheatland

Part of Interstate 25 between Chugwater and Wheatland was closed for more than nine hours early Tuesday morning after a high-speed chase ended with a gunfight south of Wheatland.

WC
Wendy Corr

November 16, 20212 min read

Highway patrol shot scaled
(Cowboy State Daily Staff)

Part of Interstate 25 between Chugwater and Wheatland was closed for more than nine hours early Tuesday morning after a high-speed chase ended with a gunfight south of Wheatland.

No one was injured in the shootout between the arrested driver and Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers.

According to patrol reports, late Monday evening, just after 11 p.m., a trooper attempted to pull over a silver Cadillac on Interstate 25 near Cheyenne after the car was observed speeding.

According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, the driver failed to stop, and instead drove faster, leading the trooper on a high-speed chase north on I25, with speeds sometimes exceeding 100 mph.

When the vehicles entered Platte County, close to Wheatland, Platte County Sheriff’s deputies deployed a spike strip to deflate the Cadillac’s tires.

When the vehicle came to its abrupt stop after striking the strip, the driver exited the vehicle and began to shoot at the trooper. The trooper returned fire and soon the suspect, identified by the Highway Patrol only as a Colorado resident, was taken into custody. 

The suspect is currently being held in the Platte County Jail, and the case has been turned over to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

The northbound lane of I-25 remained closed until around 9 a.m. Tuesday, halting travel on the highway for several hours.

Drivers were advised that they could detour around the closure, but the detour would take travelers an additional hour out of their way.

Authors

WC

Wendy Corr

Broadcast Media Director