Nampa officer shoots at vehicle after suspect allegedly tried to run him over

When Nampa police officers responded Wednesday evening to a fight on North Liberty Drive near Sunny Lane, they weren’t anticipating it would end in a high-speed chase and shots fired.

At 11:27 p.m., a male subject, later identified as Jacob Brent, fled in an older model, dark-colored Chevrolet Blazer.

A few minutes later, another caller reported this vehicle several blocks away, heading southbound on Canyon Street near Roosevelt Avenue. They reported that the vehicle was traveling at an extremely fast speed, without any lights.

At 11:38 p.m., a Nampa police officer located the vehicle in the 1100 block of South Elder Street. As the officer was approaching the vehicle on foot, Brent, 23, a Nampa resident, sped and swerved toward the officer, attempting to strike him, police said. The officer fired multiple rounds, striking the vehicle.

Brent also allegedly attempted to crash his vehicle into another officer’s vehicle in the 1100 block of East Amity Avenue. In the process, he struck a roadside planter, causing damage to the property.

A few blocks away, Brent crashed through a metal gate on Amity Avenue at Fern Street, entering the Northwest Nazarene University campus, according to police. They said he drove across lawns on campus, causing further damage, and crashed through fencing around a building under construction.

Brent abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot, and was apprehended on campus after a short foot chase by officers, according to police.

Brent was arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, two felony counts of vandalism, felony eluding a police officer, felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor driving under the influence, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor resisting arrest. He was booked into the Canyon County jail.

Police said that due to Brent’s erratic driving from the time of initial call, they are encouraging citizens to report any hit-and-run incidents.

This story was originally published September 13, 2018 at 7:09 AM.