Driver eludes police, crashes at zoo before being arrested in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man has been jailed after police said he led them on a wild chase in which he crashed through a fence at the Blank Park Zoo Monday night, then fled on foot.

Devin Overton, 34, is being held on charges of eluding, driving while license barred, interference with official acts, and false report to public entity, according to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, Public Information Officer for the department, said the pursuit began just after 10:30 p.m. when a patrol officer noticed a vehicle without a bumper or license plate in traffic. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle near South Union Street and Watrous Avenue, but the driver refused to stop.

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The driver continued attempting to elude officers for almost 10 minutes as they pursued him through Des Moines’ south side, at one point leaving the road and striking a landscaping boulder in the yard of a home, said Sgt. Parizek.

The driver successfully evaded officers, who lost sight of the 2011 Buick Lucerne he was driving. As officers continued to search for the vehicle, it was located about 10 minutes later, crashed near SW 9th Street and Amos Street. Sgt. Parizek said the vehicle had left the road, crashed through a fence, and came to a stop inside the Blank Park Zoo…

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