According to documents provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Department, on Sunday, November 6th, 2016, Polk CountySheriff's deputies were dispatched on a complaint of a blue Chevy Trailblazer that was stolen in the Village of Luck, WI. The caller advised Polk County Dispatch that they were following the vehicle and the driver was accelerating to speeds potentially over 100 mph.
Deputies located the Trailblazer which at that time was travelling at about the posted speed limit of 55 mph. The deputy moved behind the Trailblazer and activated emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop. The Trailblazer pulled over and stopped. When the deputy ordered the driver out of the vehicle, the driver instead sped away from the scene.
The deputy pursued the Trailblazer, activating the squad car's siren. The deputy observed that the driver of the Trailblazer crossed multiple times to the left of center within no-passing zones and endangering the safety of other vehicles on the road all while driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
Dispatch advised the Deputy to terminate the pursuit when the vehicle crossed into Burnett County. Reports came in that the vehicle was coming back to Polk County and deflation devices were deployed. The Trailblazer was observed still fleeing from law enforcement at speeds up to 120 mph at times. A set of deflation devices did successfully deflate at least one tire on the Trailblazer. The driver continued to flee, the tires began to smoke and the Trailblazer eventually pulled into a private driveway, continuing on into a field where it came to a stop.
Polk County Deputies ultimately were able to successfully bring the driver under arrest without further incident, after which the Trailblazer caught fire. The fire department was dispatched to put out the fire.
The driver was identified at that time as Steven Novak of Oakdale, MN. Novak advised deputies that he fled because he was afraid. Deputies transported Novak to the Polk County Jail.
Last Update: Nov 07, 2016 12:22 pm CST
