Suspects, injured police officer identified in wild high-speed chase
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POCATELLO — Local law enforcement couldn’t ignore the irony that not even 24 hours after Sunday’s national Peace Officers Memorial Day to honor police killed in the line of duty, a Fort Hall police officer nearly lost his life when struck by a fleeing pickup during a high-speed chase.
The officer, Kelly Taufer, was released from Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello Tuesday after suffering arm and leg injuries when he was intentionally struck by the pickup Monday night at Reservation Road and Highway 91, Fort Hall police said.
Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said Taufer is very fortunate to have survived the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday identified the suspects in custody as cousins Michael Angelo Miera, 26, and Janeal Elizabeth Miera, 19.
Michael was driving the fleeing pickup that struck Taufer around 8:10 p.m. Monday, authorities said. Taufer, a criminal investigator with the Fort Hall Police Department, was setting up spike strips to flatten the pickup’s tires when Michael intentionally swerved the pickup toward him and struck him, Fort Hall police said.
Michael and Janeal were arrested by law enforcement officers about 20 minutes later after a Bannock County sheriff’s deputy used a PIT maneuver on the pickup, causing it to leave a dirt road and roll multiple times.
Both suspects suffered minor injuries in the wreck and received treatment at PMC before being booked into Bannock County Jail early Tuesday morning.
The Sheriff’s Office said Michael had three outstanding warrants and is now being charged with felony eluding and aggravated battery. Michael is also a registered sex offender.
Janeal, the passenger in the pickup, also had two outstanding warrants.
More charges are expected to be filed against the suspects following the completion of the Sheriff’s Office investigation into the chase.
It was originally thought that the two suspects were from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, but authorities on Tuesday said it’s not clear exactly where they reside though both are believed to be from Southeast Idaho.
The chase began to unfold shortly before 8 p.m. Monday when a Bannock County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over the suspects’ pickup for a traffic violation at Rio Vista and Tyhee roads. The pickup fled onto the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and Fort Hall police were notified to assist in the pursuit. Taufer was dispatched to Reservation Road and Highway 91 around 8:10 p.m. to set up spike strips to flatten the pickup’s tires.
As Taufer was outside his vehicle deploying the spike strips the suspects’ 2013 Toyota Tacoma pickup approached and intentionally struck him, Fort Hall police said.
The suspects continued fleeing in their pickup after striking Taufer, traveling into Chubbuck and then taking East Chubbuck Road into northeast Pocatello with law enforcement units from multiple agencies in pursuit.
The suspects’ pickup crashed through the road closed signs on the portion of East Chubbuck Road that’s being re-paved and then they continued east on a dirt road.
Nielsen said when children were spotted riding bicycles ahead of the chase, one of the pursuing Bannock County deputies decided to use the PIT maneuver to nudge the suspects’ pickup, which caused it to careen off the road and roll multiple times. The sheriff said the deputy decided to act out of fear for the safety of the children.
Nielsen said the suspects will also face federal charges because Taufer as a member of the Fort Hall tribal police is considered to be a federal law enforcement officer. Taufer has been a Fort Hall cop for the past eight years.
The sheriff said the suspects could each face decades in prison, especially if they’re charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
The sheriff said it’s a telling statement about the increase local law enforcement officers are seeing in crime that the day after national Peace Officers Memorial Day and during National Police Week that a Southeast Idaho cop narrowly escaped death.
Nielsen said the local criminal element seems to be getting more and more reckless and dangerous — as evidenced by Monday night’s high speed chase.
This story was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.