High-speed pursuit across state lines leads to 3 arrests after IA motorcycle theft

Three suspects are in custody following a high-speed, two-state pursuit that began with a smash-and-grab at an Iowa motorcycle shop and ended in a rural Missouri field this morning.

MARYVILLE, MO — Three people are in custody Friday morning following a brazen smash-and-grab robbery and a two-state vehicle pursuit that shuttered local schools and businesses.

The incident began around 4:25 a.m. when the Atlantic Police Department responded to an alarm at Nishna Valley Cycle in Atlantic, Iowa. Officers arrived to find the building heavily damaged and several items missing.

Surveillance video showed a large box truck hook onto the business’s doors and pull them open. Three suspects then entered the shop, loaded four dirt bikes into the truck, and fled the area.

A Cass County sheriff’s deputy spotted the vehicle shortly after the theft and attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over.

The pursuit crossed into Missouri around 5:33 a.m. as the truck traveled south on U.S. Highway 71. The Nodaway County Sheriff's Office took over the chase near Braddyville. Although deputies successfully deployed a spike strip to deflate at least one tire, the driver continued to flee onto a gravel road east of Maryville.

The chase ended at a dead end, where the suspects abandoned the running vehicle in a field. Law enforcement officials said heavy dust and zero visibility hindered their initial approach.

Following a tip from a resident who saw three people running across the highway, authorities placed local schools and businesses on lockdown.

The three suspects were apprehended individually between 7:32 a.m. and 8:33 a.m.

The Nodaway County Sheriff's Office was assisted by seven other agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Northwest Missouri State University Police Department.

The investigation is ongoing. No names have been released at this time.