Juvenile left car being chased by Cedar Rapids police before shootout

CEDAR RAPIDS — The passenger who left a car during a police chase that ended in a shootout Monday is a juvenile, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Authorities said the car was involved in a drive-by shooting at a house at 414 Longwood Dr. NE, near Tomahawk Park, at 6:24 a.m. Monday. Cedar Rapids police responded to reports of the shooting and quickly began pursuing the suspect vehicle, described by the DCI as being occupied by two males. The driver began shooting with a rifle at police near First Avenue and 12th Street SE and again near Mount Vernon Road and 34th Street SE, investigators said.

“At some point in the pursuit, the passenger in the suspect vehicle exited the vehicle and was taken into custody by officers,” according to a news release from the DCI. Investigators did not say where the passenger got out during the chase, or describe the circumstances.

As it was being pursued, the car left the roadway around the 5600 block of Mount Vernon Road SE and a “high risk stop” was conducted. The driver continued to shoot at officers from inside the car, and five officers returned fire.

The driver was found dead in the car. The officers involved were placed on leave while the DCI investigates the shooting, according to the release.

The identity of the dead driver and the involved officers will be released after notification of families and further investigation, according to Joe Lestina, DCI special agent in charge of the investigation.

The identity of the passenger — and any information about any charges he may be facing — will not be released to the public because he is a juvenile, Lestina said.

An autopsy of the driver’s body is being conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, according to Lestina.

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