On March 9th at around 10:25 a.m., police observed a Nissan Pathfinder fail to stop before the crosswalk at E. Signal Drive and East Boulevard. The vehicle turned to head north on East Boulevard and a traffic stop was attempted on the Pathfinder. The vehicle did not stop and police pursued it as it turned east onto Quincy Street. The vehicle then turned into a dirt driveway, drove through a backyard of a residence in the 100 block of Crescent Drive, and parked in the driveway of the residence. Police cleared the vehicle and found no occupants inside. Police then observed the male driver of the vehicle exit the residence through a window and begin fleeing the scene westbound. Police pursued the driver on foot as the driver began running down a hill to the south. The man continued to refuse orders to stop. The suspect then stumbled and fell in the grass before getting back up. The pursuing officer then pointed his Taser at the driver and continued commands to tell the man to get on the ground. The man did not comply and began backing away from the officer. The officer deployed his Taser and the man was brought to the ground. He was placed in handcuffs and identified as 45-year-old Leo Villarreal of Rapid City. A search of his person turned up methamphetamine. Villarreal was placed under arrest for Eluding, Obstruction, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Stop Sign Violation, and a Marshall’s Warrant. He was transported to the Pennington County Jail.
