Police: Naked man steals cop car, leads officers on chase
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OMAHA, Nebraska (WOWT) — A man who led Omaha Police on a high-speed chase after stealing an OPD vehicle Thursday morning is in police custody.
OPD said the incident started at 5:15 a.m. Thursday when a woman called police about a man chasing her in a car. Officers were able to track him down in the area of 10th Street and Abbott Drive.
Authorities then say he got out of the car, got naked, and started jumping on other vehicles — including a semi — and breaking parts off them.
Officers tried to subdue the man, but he got away, hopped in a police cruiser, and drove off. OPD chased him through the north downtown area, where they say he reached speeds of up to 70mph and hit several cars.
The man was using the police radio during the chase, so other officers had trouble communicating with each other.
Officers were able to deflate his tires near 60th and Lake streets, bringing the vehicle to a stop. The man refused to get out, police said, and kept revving the engine.
OPD said officers were forced to use pepper balls to get him under control, firing through the car window so the pepper dust would get on him. OPD said the man wasn’t hit with the pepper balls.
The man was taken into custody and then to Nebraska Medical Center for evaluation. He will go to jail on multiple charges after the evaluation, police said.
Officers told 6 News they believe the man was under the influence of drugs.
No officers were injured in the chase.
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