BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Two men suspected of stealing a vehicle and guns in eastern Montana and leading officers on a chase near Laurel face several felony charges.
Hayden Lowry, 20, made an initial appearance in Justice Court on Wednesday on charges of robbery, criminal endangerment and criminal mischief, common scheme. Justice of the Peace Pedro Hernandez set bail at $100,000 for Lowry, who was shot in the hand by an officer during the pursuit.
Austin Allery, 18, is charged with assault on a peace officer, theft and criminal mischief, common scheme, The Billings Gazette reported. His bail was set at $75,000.
The two were wanted for leading officers on a chase near Laurel on Saturday night when someone spotted them in Laurel on Monday afternoon.
Officers said both resisted arrest.
Allery ran into a patrol car and tried to drive it away but was unable to due to icy roads, charging documents said. An officer, who was able to put the vehicle in park, and said he and Allery exchanged punches and that Allery tried to grab his handgun. Another officer helped subdue and handcuff Allery. Prosecutors say he caused more than $1,500 in damage to the patrol car.
Lowry ran away. Soon after, a Yellowstone County sheriff’s deputy spotted him in a restaurant parking lot, where witnesses said he pointed a gun at a customer and took his pickup truck. A citizen tried to use his vehicle to block Lowry from driving away, causing more than $1,500 in damage to both vehicles.
A responding deputy fired a shot into the stolen truck, hitting Lowry in the hand.
The Montana Highway Patrol joined the chase, which reached speeds of up to 80 mph. Lowry was caught after driving the pickup over spike strips.
The Miles City Star reported Lowry and Allery were suspected of leading officers on a chase in Laurel on Saturday night in a pickup that was reported stolen in Miles City on Feb. 12 or 13. The pickup went off a 30-foot embankment west of Laurel and rolled into a field. Laurel police say firearms, some stolen, where scattered around the crash site, but the men in the truck were able to get away in a snowstorm.
Lowry and Allery are scheduled to enter pleas in District Court on March 6.
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