Valley Journal
Valley Journal

This Week’s e-Edition

Current Events

Latest Headlines

What's New?

Send us your news items.

NOTE: All submissions are subject to our Submission Guidelines.

Announcement Forms

Use these forms to send us announcements.

Birth Announcement
Obituary

High-speed chase ends with shooting suspect in custody

Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local. You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.



Subscribe now to stay in the know!

Already a subscriber? Login now

LAKE COUNTY — After a high speed chase, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Police took 24-year-old Luis Denobrega, of Olympia, Wash., into custody on Dec. 10 for multiple offenses, including a Dec. 7 drive-by shooting in Pablo. 

According to Tribal Chief of Police Craige Couture, officers had information that Denobrega was likely the shooter in the Dec. 7 incident and attempted to stop the suspect on warrants on Monday, but he fled. Police received information indicating that Denobrega would be entering Lake County and waited for him. 

In Mission, a tribal officer attempted to perform a traffic stop on Denobrega. The suspect led officers on a chase on northbound Highway 93 at speeds exceeding 85 miles per hour. Officers were able to apprehend Denobrega when he exited the highway, ran off the roadway near North Crow Clubhouse on North Crow Road in Ronan.

Mission Mountain Drug Task Force, Lake County Sheriff’s, Ronan Police Department, and Montana Highway Patrol assisted tribal Law enforcement in the chase. 

Tribal law enforcement later searched the vehicle and found drugs and firearms believed to have been used in the shooting. Denobrega was charged with attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment and will likely face additional drug charges according to Couture. 

Couture said when he reviewed the dash cams he was pleased with how Lake County drivers pulled over to the side of the road. 

“I’ve seen other places where it wasn’t that way,” Couture said. 

Denobrega has a history of not yielding to law enforcement officers. 

On Sept. 7, a Washington State Trooper attempted to pull Denobrega over in the Spokane Valley, after he ran a red light, according to the Spokesman Review. Denobrega would not pull over and struck another vehicle but kept driving. He eventually stopped, put his truck in reverse, and rammed the trooper’s car. Denobrega was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, hit and run, felony eluding a law enforcement officer and second-degree assault. The trooper involved was not injured, but the person in the vehicle Denobrega struck suffered minor injuries. 

Sponsored by: