The Ada County Coroner's Office has identified a 24-year-old Boise man killed after crashing through a concrete barrier located on I-184.
24-year-old Jacob T. Sundquist of Boise died from injuries sustained in a car crash. The death has been ruled as accidental.
The incident started at approximately 3:05 a.m. when an off-duty Garden City Police Officer who was driving home after his shift spotted a maroon Jeep Liberty driven by Sundquist traveling at a high rate of speed.
The officer observed the vehicle attempt to make a left onto State Street and jumped the raised concrete lane divider almost hitting the officer's vehicle.
The Jeep continued south on Glenwood on the wrong side of the road and ran a red light at Riverside and Glenwood. The off-duty officer informed other police units and followed the Jeep at a safe distance.
At 3:11 A.M., officers located the Jeep Liberty headed eastbound on Chinden and attempted to pull the vehicle over.
Sundquist pulled to the side of the road for a few seconds before taking off.
Officers initiated a pursuit but stopped at 3:12 a.m. due to safety concerns for both officers and the public.
After losing the vehicle, officers conducted a search in the area of Fairview and the I-184 on-ramp.
Officers discovered that the Jeep had hit two concrete barriers, a light pole, a street sign and flipped into a large tree.
Sundquist was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and died at approximately 3:42 a.m.
Chief Allen of the Garden City Police Department issued the following statement:
“This is a tragic incident and we wish we could have stopped it before it resulted in a fatality. Our Officers work hard to make the roadways a safer place for everyone. Anytime a vehicle flees, our officers are trained to weigh the likelihood of a successful apprehension against the concern for public safety. The last thing we want is for innocent people to sustain injuries as a result of suspects fleeing police. In this case, the speeds were too great, and the concern for public safety outweighed the likelihood of successful apprehension, therefore, the supervisor rightfully terminated the pursuit. Based on the driving pattern and his actions, he displayed signs consistent with impairment. We will have to await toxicology results to determine if impairment contributed to the accident. It should also be noted, the driver had three previous DUI’s arrests within the last two years, and if arrested for DUI a fourth time, he would have been charged with a Felony.”
The criminal investigation is being conducted by the Boise Police Department, and the accident scene is being reconstructed by the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
