LARAMIE, WY — A high-speed chase in Albany County ended Thursday with the arrest of a wanted fugitive after deputies say a stolen vehicle from Colorado sped north on U.S. 287 and kept going when officers tried to stop it.
The Albany County Sheriff’s Office said the vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour before the pursuit moved into the Laramie area and ended in a crash near Roger Canyon Road. The suspect then ran from the scene but was later taken into custody.
Authorities identified the man as Jonis Mencia-Cruz, who was wanted on a Colorado Department of Corrections warrant and now faces multiple charges in Wyoming.
Deputies say the chase began with a stolen Colorado vehicle
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies first spotted the vehicle while it was traveling north on U.S. 287 in Albany County. Investigators said it had been reported stolen in Colorado, giving deputies a reason to attempt a stop.
The driver did not pull over, setting off a pursuit that quickly escalated. Deputies said the vehicle accelerated well beyond normal road speeds, reaching more than 100 miles per hour during the chase.
No additional details were immediately released about where in Colorado the vehicle had been stolen or how long it had been missing before the encounter in Wyoming.
Speed climbed past 100 mph as officers gave chase
The sheriff’s office said the driver continued north despite law enforcement efforts to stop the vehicle. The high-speed run created a dangerous situation on a major corridor that connects southern and central Wyoming travel routes.
Authorities have not said whether other drivers were forced to take evasive action or whether any injuries were reported. What they did make clear is that the pursuit remained active as it moved toward Laramie.
That portion of the chase put the suspect on roads closer to the city before the vehicle ultimately crashed. The exact distance covered during the pursuit was not released.
Crash near Roger Canyon Road ended the pursuit
The chase came to a stop after the vehicle crashed near Roger Canyon Road in the Laramie area, the sheriff’s office said. The wreck brought the driving portion of the incident to an end, but the suspect did not surrender right away.
After the crash, the man fled on foot. Deputies later caught him and placed him under arrest, ending the search that followed the collision.
Officials did not immediately say what caused the crash or whether the vehicle was heavily damaged. They also did not release information about any property damage at the scene.
Jonis Mencia-Cruz was wanted on a Colorado corrections warrant
The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Jonis Mencia-Cruz. He was wanted on a warrant from the Colorado Department of Corrections when deputies encountered him in Albany County.
After the arrest, Mencia-Cruz faced multiple charges in Wyoming, though officials did not list those charges in the information released Thursday. The agency also did not say whether the Colorado warrant was tied to an earlier conviction or supervision matter.
His arrest linked the Wyoming chase to an outstanding Colorado corrections case, giving the incident both an interstate and local law-enforcement dimension.
Wyoming deputies ended the interstate chase with an arrest
The case shows how quickly a routine patrol observation can turn into a fast-moving public-safety response. Deputies spotted a stolen vehicle, tried to intervene, and instead had to follow the driver as speeds climbed and the pursuit crossed into another part of the county.
By the time the chase ended near Laramie, the suspect had already tried to escape twice — first by refusing to stop and then by running from the crash scene. The sheriff’s office said he was ultimately taken into custody without offering further details about the arrest process.
Officials have not said when Mencia-Cruz will appear in court or whether the Colorado warrant will lead to separate proceedings.
