Police deployed spike strips Wednesday north of Durango to stop a driver suspected of domestic violence and leading police on an 18-mile chase.
Shawn Max McCourt, 50, of Denver was being held at the La Plata County Jail. He was being held without bail Thursday on suspicion of vehicular eluding and assault involving domestic violence.
The incident started about 12:15 p.m. at Fort Lewis College, said Cmdr. Ray Shupe of the Durango Police Department.
McCourt was at the college with his wife and a child who is apparently considering attending FLC, Shupe said. They were there as part of a campus tour. McCourt apparently refused to let his wife out of a silver BMW sedan, Shupe said.
His wife was eventually able to exit the car, but McCourt failed to pull over for campus police, Shupe said.
An officer with the Durango Police Department found the car driving southwest on Florida Road and tried to initiate a traffic stop.
The driver turned right onto 15th Street, drove through the Veterans of Foreign Wars parking lot and turned north onto Main Avenue, Shupe said.
McCourt turned left onto 21st or 22nd street, as if he was going to pull over, but instead, he drove around the block and turned back onto Main Avenue to continue traveling north.
He drove another 12 to 14 miles north to Trimble Lane on U.S. Highway 550. The whole time, he obeyed the speed limit and traffic laws, including stoplights, Shupe said. A police officer had lights and siren activated during much of the pursuit, he said.
Near Trimble Lane, McCourt spotted a Colorado State Patrol trooper deploying spike strips. McCourt flipped a U-turn and started driving south on Highway 550, back toward Durango, Shupe said. His speed reached 100 mph.
Durango police deployed spike strips near the old glider park and Alpen Rose RV Park.
The spike strips successfully deflated both front tires and the rear passenger-side tire, Shupe said.
McCourt kept driving, eventually slowing down, and eventually losing his driver-side front tire, Shupe said.
He finally turned right into the parking lot at the Colorado Department of Transportation offices, 3803 Main Ave. in city limits, where he exited the car and surrendered without further incident, Shupe said.
He was arrested at 12:28 p.m.
“We were pretty lucky in this particular pursuit,” Shupe said. “Traffic was light, the guy was pretty much following traffic laws until he did the U-turn.”
shane@durangoherald.com
