LARAMIE, WY — A stolen red Chevrolet Silverado led Albany County law enforcement on a fast-moving chase through Laramie Thursday evening, reaching speeds above 100 mph before ending in a crash and foot pursuit on Roger Canyon Road.
Authorities say the truck, driven by Jonis Mencia-Cruz, kept going even after losing a front tire and later drove on its rim at more than 90 mph. He was arrested after the pickup hit a cattle gate and wrecked near milepost 11.5, according to an Albany County Sheriff’s Office affidavit.
Mencia-Cruz is now facing charges of property destruction, eluding, reckless driving and interference. He made his initial court appearance Friday and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Camera alert in Colorado sent deputies toward a stolen pickup
The pursuit started after a Flock camera spotted the truck traveling north from Fort Collins, Colorado, toward Wyoming on U.S. Highway 287. Deputies had already been alerted that the vehicle was a stolen 1999 Chevrolet Silverado.
At about 5:15 p.m., Sgt. Aaron Gallegos received the dispatch information and drove south to look for the pickup. Eight minutes later, he found it parked in a truck pullout near milepost 405. The truck was carrying Arizona license plates, according to the affidavit.
Gallegos got out of his patrol vehicle and ordered the driver to exit. Instead, the pickup took off north, starting the chase that would run through several streets in Laramie and draw in multiple law enforcement vehicles.
Speeds climbed above 100 mph as officers tried to stop the truck
With emergency lights and sirens activated, Gallegos pursued the Silverado north on U.S. 287. The affidavit says speeds climbed beyond 100 mph as officers tried to keep up and position stop sticks near the intersection of U.S. 287 and Soldier Springs Road.
A roadside video posted by Shaina Fields Pulley captured part of the chase and showed the pickup blasting past officers and roadside efforts to slow it down. In the video, she can be heard reacting in shock before cheering on the pursuit as patrol SUVs and a truck followed behind.
The sheriff’s office affidavit says the stop sticks were successfully used, although the truck kept moving long after that point. What the video captured was only a brief stretch of a longer pursuit that continued deeper into the city.
Pickup ran red lights and stop signs through Laramie streets
The truck continued into Laramie, where the affidavit says it ran stop signs and red lights and passed other vehicles in the opposing lane. Deputies traced the route along U.S. 287 and Third Street, then east on Garfield Street and north on Ninth Street toward Roger Canyon Road.
Near Ninth and Beaufort streets, Gallegos watched the pickup lose its front driver’s side tire. Even after that, the truck kept going on its rim. The affidavit says it was still traveling at more than 90 mph at that point.
Albany County Sheriff’s Sgt. Daran Olaveson wrote that he also joined the chase and deployed a tire-deflation device against the vehicle. By then, the pickup had already become badly damaged but was still moving fast enough to require an extended response.
Cattle gate, crash and foot chase ended the pursuit outside town
The chase ended on Roger Canyon Road after the truck went through a cattle gate near milepost 11 and crashed near milepost 11.5, according to the affidavit. The pickup was valued at between $1,500 and $3,800.
After the wreck, the driver climbed out and ran north from the road. Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers and Albany County deputies caught him after a foot chase and arrested him there.
Officials said Mencia-Cruz was the pickup’s only occupant. Once deputies had his name and birth date, dispatch flagged him as a wanted person with a caution for escape risk and nationwide extradition through the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Colorado warrant and stolen-truck check added to the case
The sheriff’s office later described the outstanding warrant as one for “flight/escape.” Cowboy State Daily sought information from the Colorado Department of Corrections about that warrant but did not receive a response before publication.
Gallegos also checked the truck’s vehicle identification number and confirmed with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office that it had been reported stolen. That detail tied the chase back to the original alert that sent officers searching for the pickup in the first place.
Mencia-Cruz was taken before Circuit Judge Robert Sanford on Friday for his initial appearance. His preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday.
Possible prison time if all charges are proven
If Mencia-Cruz is convicted on all of the charges listed in the case, he could face up to 12 years in prison. The accusations include property destruction, eluding, reckless driving and interference.
For deputies, the incident combined a stolen vehicle, a high-speed pursuit and an arrest that only came after the truck lost a tire, struck a gate and crashed. The affidavit says the pickup kept going long after officers first tried to stop it.
The case now moves forward in Albany County court, where prosecutors will have to prove the allegations behind the chase and the arrest. For the moment, the detailed affidavit provides the clearest account of how the pursuit unfolded from the Colorado line to the road outside Laramie.
