MERIDIAN, Idaho — Officers from multiple police agencies, including Meridian, Kuna and Idaho State Police responded to the area of Interstate 84 and Meridian Road Thursday night after a police pursuit ended with the suspect vehicle being stopped along the highway and shots being fired.
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said the incident started around 6 p.m. when Meridian police responded to a report of a fight at a parking lot near Eagle and Overland roads.
Officers found a vehicle they believe was connected to the report at 6:16 p.m. and a pursuit started. Officers lost the vehicle near Columbia and Locust Grove and the pursuit was stopped.
At 6:37 p.m., Kuna police found the vehicle and another pursuit started. The chase traveled north on Meridian Road.
During the chase, Clifford said the suspect called dispatch and said he had a gun.
The suspect entered the onramp onto westbound I-84, where a Kuna Police deputy used a PIT maneuver to get the vehicle to stop in the median between the onramp and the interstate.
Clifford said verbal commands were given to the driver and then shots were fired. An Ada County spokesperson said three Kuna police deputies fired their weapons, striking the suspect.
Officials have confirmed that the suspect had a weapon, but it's unclear right now if he fired it.
The officers then started life-saving measures on the man until EMS arrived.
The suspect was taken to the hospital in critical condition. His identity has not been released.
No law enforcement officers were injured.
At the same time, a Christian concert was happening at Roaring Springs Water Park next to the interstate, at the wave pool. The pool was evacuated temporarily, but the organizer of the event, Brian Yeager, said the community came together during a scary moment.
“We really saw the community, we saw God, we saw the whole thing come together in a really wild way, in something that could have been a huge tragedy,” Yeager said.
The concert was moved to an event center at the park. No injuries were reported.