Yellowstone High Speed Vehicle Pursuit Ends In Manhunt And Arrest

Yellowstone National Park (ID,MT,WY)
High Speed Vehicle Pursuit Ends In Manhunt And Arrest

During the night of September 4th, a patrol ranger came upon two vehicles blocking the road near the Canyon Junction. On stopping to perform a welfare check, the ranger became suspicious of the occupants’ nervous behavior and inappropriate answers to questions, then noticed erratic driving behavior as it drove away. A check of the vehicle’s registration revealed that it had been reported stolen in Minnesota. Rangers attempted a felony stop, but the driver sped away when they activated their emergency lights. The subsequent pursuit resulted in the vehicle being disabled through deployment of spike strips and eventually crashing into trees near West Thumb. The passenger, a hitchhiker, immediately surrendered to rangers. The driver, later identified as John E. Robbins, 43, fled into the woods carrying a machete. Rangers established a perimeter that included the closure of an 18-mile-long section of road. The park’s tactical tracking unit, special response team, two special agents, additional rangers, and a search dog were involved in the ensuing manhunt. Robbins was captured three hours later as he reentered the roadway. He reported attempting suicide during his escape attempt by hacking at his wrists with his machete. Robbins was charged with four felony offenses – transportation of a stolen vehicle, transporting stolen goods, willfully and maliciously attempting to destroy a conveyance, and unlawfully restraining another person and exposing him to serious bodily injury. On September 9th, Robbins had an initial appearance before the U.S. magistrate judge in Yellowstone and was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Part of Robbins' sentence should be a class on how to sharpen your machete

Anticipation of the "willfully and maliciously attempting to destroy a conveyance" charge probably pushed him over the edge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2009 03:49PM by szalkowski.

Gee, some grizzly bear missed out on a late season meal!