DEER LODGE – A law enforcement officer shot a woman in the arm after a pursuit in which she rammed two police cars near Deer Lodge, injuring an officer, Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles said Wednesday.
A deputy and a Deer Lodge Police officer responded to a report of a restraining order violation late Tuesday, Roselles said in a statement. The woman was also reportedly vandalizing and stealing property.
The officers found the woman and tried to get her to exit a stolen vehicle, but she refused and led officers on a pursuit. Spike strips were successfully deployed twice during the pursuit, but the suspect kept driving.
The woman rammed a parked car and then two police vehicles, injuring an officer, Roselles said.
Two officers discharged their firearms and the woman was hit in the arm, ending the 30-minute pursuit, officials said.
The woman was taken to the hospital. Her name and the extent of her injuries were not immediately released.
The state Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting because it involved law enforcement officers. The two officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave as part of departmental policy.