DEER LODGE – A Montana sheriff’s deputy fired shots at a suspect as the suspect drove “directly at the officer” on a rural road north of Deer Lodge, Powell County Sheriff Scott Howard said Friday.
Howard declined to release any information about the suspect’s condition, citing the ongoing investigation.
The pursuit began at around 4:30 a.m. with reports of a vehicle traveling the wrong way on Interstate 90, Howard said. The deputy and Montana Highway Patrol troopers were unable to locate the wrong-way vehicle on the interstate.
The deputy eventually spotted the suspect’s vehicle on a secondary road. At one point the driver backed into the patrol car, then sped off, Howard said.
The suspect reached the end of the pavement on a county road and turned around “came straight, directly at the officer,” Howard said. The deputy fired shots at the oncoming vehicle.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating.
Howard did not release the name of the deputy, who was placed on paid administrative leave as is policy.
The sheriff’s office and the Department of Justice would release more information after the investigation is complete, Howard said.