Woman leads police on chase through Idaho Falls, officers say
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IDAHO FALLS — A woman was arrested after she allegedly didn’t stop her vehicle for officers, and police say they forced her to a stop and eventually broke her window to arrest her when she wouldn’t comply.
The pursuit happened around 7 p.m. on Friday. According to police documents, an Idaho Police officer tried to make a traffic stop for a red Chevrolet S-10 Blazer due to suspended registration near the intersection of Royal Avenue and Payne Street in Idaho Falls.
The driver, identified as Shanyn Halpin, 20, failed to pull over when the officer had overhead lights and audible sirens.
Halpin drove through a stop sign at Vernon and Lincoln Road, a red light on Lincoln Road and Woodruff, into the center lane on Woodruff near 1st Street, a flashing yellow arrow at John Adams and Woodruff and a red light at John Adams and Hitt Road. According to documents, several cars had to slam on their brakes to avoid crashing into Halpin.
On the main roads that had traffic, Halpin was speeding 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, police said. Officers used a PIT maneuver to stop Halpin near John Adams and Hitt Road. A PIT maneuver is a pursuit tactic where a police car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop.
Once Halpin regained control of her vehicle after the rear of her vehicle slid onto the curb and into the snow, she revved the engine and rammed the front of an officer’s patrol vehicle. The officer told her to get out, but she continued to rev the engine and not listen, police said.
An officer broke a window and with the help of a sergeant, pulled her out of the vehicle. A silver metal pipe with burn marks on one end and a pink mouthpiece on the other fell from her pocket.
A passenger told police officers that she had tried several times to get Halpin to stop.
“She told Shanyn if she didn’t stop, they were going to end up dying,” according to police documents.
Halpin had three Idaho Falls felony warrants for her arrest. She was arrested and booked for the warrants. She was also charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer in a motor vehicle, felony aggravated battery, misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers, and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.
Halpin appeared in court on Monday, and her bond was set at $25,000. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 11.