Colorado girl, 13, arrested after 100 mph highway chase

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state troopers arrested a 13-year-old driver from Colorado after a chase that topped 100 mph along an interstate highway earlier this week.

A state trooper spotted an SUV driving about 35 mph on Interstate 80 near the city of Kearney on Monday night, but the driver sped up and fled east when the trooper tried to pull her over.

The chase continued at speeds over 100 miles (161 kph) until another state trooper put out stop sticks, the Nebraska State Patrol said in a news release. But the Nissan Pathfinder took an exit off the highway and kept driving, although at slower speeds, until a state trooper used a tactical maneuver to bring the vehicle to a stop, the authorities said. The entire chase lasted about 15 minutes.

The 13-year-old girl who was driving the SUV and an 11-year-old boy riding with her were both arrested, and troopers said they found a gun and a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle. The State Patrol said both the girl and boy are from Colorado but didn’t release their names. They were placed in protective custody.