Police have charged an Iowa State University student with additional crimes following a chase earlier this month throughout west Ames.
According to a criminal complaint, 20-year-old Ty Allen Shoulders led Story County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a chase that followed a 911 call regarding a wrong-way driver on US Highway 30 near the South Dakota Avenue exit.
Sheriff’s Office Captain Nicholas Lennie told StoryCounty.News following the incident that Shoulders had allegedly been driving both westbound in eastbound lanes and eastbound in westbound lanes leading up to the call.
A responding deputy located Shoulders and his vehicle, a white 2004 Ford Expedition, blocking a roadway on the far west side of Ames. “Within a few minutes, a Story County deputy that was in the area located the vehicle on Lincoln Highway on the west side of Ames,” Lennie said. “The vehicle was stopped, blocking both lanes of traffic.”
The criminal complaint indicates that the deputy attempted to approach Shoulders, who was standing in the middle of the road near his vehicle. According to the deputy, Shoulders then “said something to the effect of ‘[expletive] you come get me.’” Per the complaint, a female who had been stopped with Shoulders prior to the deputy’s arrival “said something like ‘there is something wrong with him.’”
Shoulders is accused of getting back into his SUV and driving it onto the shoulder, squealing the vehicle’s tires, and fleeing from the deputy.
The deputy is said to have engaged in a pursuit that lasted “approximately 11 minutes”. The complaint says that Shoulders “showed no regard for the safety of the general public…[driving] into oncoming traffic multiple time[s]…purposefully swerving his vehicle all over the road…[putting] the lives of motorists and pedestrians alike in danger.” Shoulders is described in the complaint as “erratic” and “reckless”, even allegedly “[hanging] out of his window and [flipping the deputy] off while driving.”
Shoulders is said to have made multiple stops at intersections, waiting for the deputy to open his door, and then driving off again. He is accused of reaching speeds of 25 miles per hour over the speed limit or more during the chase.
Authorities eventually were able to stop the vehicle, due to a pit maneuver performed by a deputy. “The chase ended on Lincoln Way in the area of the west Hy-Vee,” Lennie explained. “The suspect hit a curb and rolled his [vehicle].”
Shoulders is accused of remaining resistant to officers following the wreck, leading to the deployment of a taser, according to Lennie.
Although Shoulders refused urine and blood testing for chemicals, deputies observed “impairment” by way of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, the complaint states.
He was taken into custody and later charged with the following crimes:
- Eluding, a class “D” felony
- Operating While Under the Influence – First Offense, a serious misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident – Property Damage Only
- Driving on the Wrong Side of a Two-Way Highway
- Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield Right-of-Way
- Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle
No injuries were reported due to the incident. However, a Cy-Ride bus, a squad car, and an uninvolved motorist all suffered physical property damage.
According to the complaint, a friend of Shoulders “called in after this incident to give [police] a heads up about how [Shoulders] was acting erratic [that day] and doing things that were not normal to his character.” The report was made to police without the caller’s knowledge of the pursuit that had already transpired, states the complaint.
Court documents indicate that Shoulders later posted bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing October 30 at 1:00 p.m.
Shoulders, a Sioux City native, is listed as a junior at Iowa State University, per the school’s online directory.
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