BUFFALO COUNTY, Neb. - Two men are accused of stealing a car at gunpoint in Brighton, Colo. during a test drive and hours later, leading police on a high speed chase through part of Nebraska.
Nebraska State Patrol says it all began about 5 p.m. Friday when 18-year-old Petr Strizheus and 22-year-old Aleksandr Voznyuk allegedly met the seller of the Subaru Impreza at the Target in Brighton.
Police say the seller was in the driver's seat, one of the suspects was driving and the other was in the backseat. They headed into a neighborhood near I-76 and 136th Avenue where they stopped, showed a pistol, and told the owner to get out of the car. The victim said after he got out of the car, he heard a shot go off, and as he ran away, he heard a second shot fired.
Police say the two men then sped off and headed into Nebraska. About 10:30 p.m., a trooper clocked the Subaru traveling more than 100 mph on Interstate 80 just east of the Odessa exit.
The two men exited I-80 at the Kearney exit, heading south on Highway 44. They then fired several shots at the trooper's patrol car, hitting it at least one time.
The two men ditched the vehicle after driving into a ditch. Police Service Dog Units, SWAT teams and the Aviation Support Division were called in to assist with the search. Using an infrared technology, the helicopter pilot tracked down Voznyuk hiding in a field. He was arrested Saturday about 2 a.m.
Strizheus was arrested around noon Saturday at a public library in Minden after a librarian reported suspicious behavior.
Adams County police recovered two shell casings from the neighborhood where the shots were allegedly fired.
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