Man Attempts To Flee From Missoula Police, Rolls Car Into Building

Missoula Police were on the lookout Tuesday night for a male who was believed to be involved in drug related activity. Public Information Officer Travis Welsh says officers eventually found the male, but taking him into custody was no easy task.

“He had been recently associated with a specific vehicle that the officers located,” said Welsh. “They saw a male in the car that they believed to be the person they were looking for. The male in the car left. They attempted to initiate a traffic stop and rather than stop and comply with the officers, the driver attempted to flee.”

According to Welsh, a short pursuit took place near the 2800 Block of Washburn.

“The driver, who was later identified as 24-year-old Forest Berry, struck a utility box of some kind and then jumped out of the car allowing it to roll forward and strike an adjacent building,” Welsh said. “There was a short foot pursuit until the officers were able to take him into custody without incident. At that point, he began to comply.”

Berry now faces nine separate charges including felony criminal endangerment. Officers reported that as the driver attempted to flee, he drove dangerously close to oncoming traffic.