Juvenile hospitalized after I-15 crash

The Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police are investigating a crash at milepost 68 on Interstate 15, between the South 5th and Clark Street exits.

The incident began when a 16-year-old male juvenile from Ft. Hall took a rental car from his parents. According to Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen, the boy wrecked the car on Ft. Hall Mine Road.

Two people stopped to help the juvenile. According to Nielsen, the boy struck one person and pulled a knife on the second. He then car-jacked a Nissan Frontier pickup.

Idaho State Police said the juvenile was traveling north on I-15 in the pickup. The vehicle left the road on the left shoulder and overturned in the median at around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. The pickup came to rest on its top in the southbound lane.

As Bannock County deputies approached the crash, the boy was still combative. Nielsen said officers tazed the boy in the process of arresting him.

The male driver was transported by ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello. He remained hospitalized with neck injuries Thursday morning.

The left lane of the intersection was blocked for about one and a half hours.

The Bannock County Sheriff’s office and Ft. Hall Police are investigating numerous incidents involving the same driver earlier in the morning.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the pickup was taken at knife-point from another driver.

Investigation is continuing.