DEER LODGE — A woman is hospitalized after being shot by law enforcement officers following a Tuesday night chase during which she reportedly rammed a stolen vehicle into two police cars.
At approximately 11:15 p.m., a Powell County sheriff's deputy and Deer Lodge police officer responded to a reported violation of a restraining order in which the female suspect also vandalized and stole property.
The officers located the woman and made attempts to have her get out of a stolen vehicle. She refused and drove off, leading to a chase.
Two more Deer Lodge police officers and a Montana Highway Patrol officer aided in the pursuit. Spike strips were successfully deployed twice during the pursuit, but the woman continued driving.
According to a news release from the Powell County Sheriff's Office, the woman rammed a parked civilian car, then rammed two of the police vehicles causing injury to one of the officers.
Two of the officers then fired at the woman, who was hit in the arm and finally stopped.
The chase ended about 30 minutes after it began.
The woman was removed from the vehicle, first aid was rendered until an ambulance arrived, and she was taken to a hospital.
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigations is conducting the investigation into the shooting, and the officers who discharged their firearms are on administrative leave in accordance with department policy.
The name of the woman has not yet been released.
