A man accused of leading law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase in a stolen car late Sunday night was arrested after a nearly two-hour standoff in Pocatello during which police deployed a SWAT team and multiple armored vehicles.
Jeffery J. Johnson
Jeffery J. Johnson, 28, of Chubbuck, was arrested by police shortly before 1 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of Gold’s Gym along Flandro Drive.
He exited the stolen Subaru car he’d been driving and began shouting at the numerous officers in police cars and armored vehicles who surrounded him. At that point, several officers tackled him and placed him under arrest, according to a Journal reporter at the scene.
Authorities said Johnson was not injured during his arrest and has been booked into Bannock County Jail on a charge of felony eluding for the chase and a charge of grand theft for the stolen car.
He also had a felony warrant for his arrest because he failed to comply with the conditions set by Bannock County Drug Court for a previous conviction.
If convicted of the eluding and grand theft charges, Johnson could face more than 14 years in prison.
Bannock County sheriff’s deputies initiated the pursuit of Johnson around 11 p.m. Sunday when they spotted him driving the stolen Subaru at Quinn and Philbin roads on Pocatello’s north side.
The deputies chased Johnson into Chubbuck and then back into Pocatello and speeds during the pursuit exceeded 90 mph. Officers using spike strips deflated the Subaru’s tires on Flandro Drive, causing Johnson to pull into the Gold’s Gym parking lot around 11:10 p.m., authorities said.
When Johnson wouldn’t surrender, additional law enforcement units including multiple armored vehicles and the Pocatello police SWAT team were deployed to the Gold’s Gym area and Flandro Drive was temporarily shut down. The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Pocatello and Chubbuck police departments and Idaho State Police all had several officers at the scene.
Officers communicated with Johnson via loudspeaker and he yelled back responses from inside the stolen Subaru until he exited the vehicle and was tackled and taken into custody.
Authorities said the Subaru was stolen in Chubbuck earlier Sunday evening.
There was a 9mm pistol in the Subaru but authorities said that Johnson never brandished the weapon.
The chase did not result in any wrecks but Johnson did drive through a fence in Chubbuck, the Sheriff’s Office reported.





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