Nebraska man arrested after leading authorities on 150-mile chase

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A West Point man was arrested Monday morning after law enforcement says he led them on a 150-mile pursuit lasting more than two hours.

Tyler Kocian, 28, was charged with operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, assault on a police officer, use of a weapon to commit a felony and several other charges across multiple counties.

The pursuit started about 2 a.m. in O’Neill after an alleged theft.

Kocian led authorities through Holt, Antelope and Pierce counties before entering Norfolk, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to the sheriff’s office, law enforcement tried to deflate Kocian’s tires multiple times, but he avoided the spikes by driving into front yards.

About 4 a.m., Kocian then fled east into Stanton County on Highway 275, ramming into a Stanton County patrol unit and “spinning it out.”

The pursuit continued, with another unsuccessful attempt to spike Kocian’s tires near Pilger.

Kocian continued to drive east into Cuming County, authorities said, but at the West Point city limits, law enforcement was finally able to spike his tires.

The sheriff’s office said Kocian lost a front tire but continued to drive down the highway.

Kocian was nearly stopped on the Elkhorn River Bridge when a semitruck driver tried to stop him by blocking the highway, the sheriff’s office said.

But authorities said Kocian was able to squeak by the blockade and continue east into Dodge County, losing a second tire.

The pursuit continued onto Highway 91 and into the Blair, where Kocian was stopped in a residential area and taken into custody at gunpoint.

Kocian was lodged in the Washington County Jail.

During the pursuit, the sheriff’s office said Kocian called the Norfolk Police Department, saying he wasn’t going to stop and threatening the officers pursuing him.

The sheriff’s office said nobody was injured in the pursuit.