South Dakota trooper dragged, patrol vehicle stolen
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KMSP) - A South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper was assaulted and dragged as his patrol vehicle was stolen Saturday night in Pennington County, the sheriff’s office confirmed Monday.
According to the sheriff, at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, the trooper initiated a traffic stop at South Dakota Highway 79 and Spring Creek Road. During the stop, one suspect was able to get control of the trooper’s vehicle, dragging the trooper as they tried to flee the scene.
The trooper fired his weapon at the vehicle in an attempt to disable it. The squad car eventually became disabled when it ran into a creek embankment, but the suspect was able to get back into their own car and drive away with the original passenger behind the wheel.
Later that evening, Oglala Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement located the suspected vehicle on the Pine Ridge Reservation and took two people into custody without incident on tribal charges. The trooper was taken to the hospital, treated and released.
Neither the trooper nor the suspects were identified. The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and the Rapid City Police Department continue to investigate the incident.