Missoula police saw a man traveling down Cooley Street without its headlights on Monday night and quickly intervened. Public Information Officer Travis Welsh says the car took a couple of quick turns and headed down an alley as if to elude the officer.

“In the alley, the vehicle being driven did strike a fence and stopped temporarily,” said Welsh. “As the office pulled up, the driver of the vehicle accelerated away and led the officer on a short pursuit. Eventually the vehicle that was fleeing lost control and he blew a tire going over a curb.”

The man eventually drove into a short field near the intersection of Market and Railroad where he struck another fence.

“At that point the driver was taken into custody without incident and he is identified at 34-year-old David Kennedy,” Welsh said. “It was discovered that the vehicle that he was driving did not belong to him and it in fact appears to have been stolen. Along with the DUI he was also arrested for felony theft.”

Kennedy is also being charged with reckless driving, driving with a suspended license and fleeing from or eluding a peace officer.

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