Cedar Rapids police: Car thief’s wrong way getaway stopped short by collision

CEDAR RAPIDS - A man accused of stealing a vehicle eluded a police chase by driving the wrong direction on Interstate 380 on Sunday morning, but he was caught a little later, Cedar Rapids police said in a news release.

The getaway was stopped short when Christopher Coady, 36, exited the interstate at Wilson Avenue SW and struck an Alliant Energy truck, according to police. The Alliant employee was not injured, but Coady wound up in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges, according to police.

The incident began when police received a report of a stolen vehicle from the 700 block of 19th Street SE at 5:49 a.m. Sunday. The owner had left the keys in the vehicle, according to police.

Police located the vehicle at 6:36 a.m. and an officer pulled the vehicle over near the 300 block of Third Street SW. After initially stopping, Coady took off traveling in the wrong direction on Third Street SW, and then turned south into the northbound lane of Interstate 380, after which officers terminated the pursuit, police said.

When police caught back up with Coady, who also had outstanding warrants for revocation of probation for assault domestic abuse, they charged him with second-degree theft, attempting to elude, no driver's license, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to obey a traffic signal device, failure to maintain control, speeding, and violation of a one-way designation.

l Comments: (319) 339-3177; brian.morelli@thegazette.com