Law enforcement now believes that a medical emergency caused a downtown Boise crash that led to a brief police standoff late Thursday afternoon.
The Boise Police Department said in a news release that it received reports of a “reckless or possibly intoxicated” driver on the Interstate 184 Connector at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The wreck took place at the corner of Myrtle and 11th streets, not far from where the Connector dumps traffic into downtown on Myrtle.
The Idaho State Police said Friday that the incident is now being investigated as a medical emergency, according to a press release. After the crash, a man was taken into custody and transported to St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, where medical staff stated he suffered a medical emergency, the release said.
“Some medical emergencies can appear nearly identical to impaired driving. Law enforcement must approach every situation with caution to protect both the public and themselves,” ISP Lt. Brandalyn Crapo said in the release.
Crapo also said that not all factors of the investigation have been vetted, and law enforcement will continue to look into it.
Dispatchers on Thursday received multiple reports of a pickup truck “driving erratically” on eastbound I-184 near milepost 44, the release stated. According to those reports, the vehicle struck another car and a concrete barrier before continuing on to downtown, where the crash took place.
Boise police and ISP troopers responded and closed Myrtle Street at the intersection, causing traffic to back up on the Connector. The driver refused to exit the vehicle, and police deployed a drone to observe the scene, and also fired pepper-ball rounds into the truck.
Officers then approached the vehicle and took the man into custody without further incident.
