A 22-year-old Box Elder man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police responded to reports of gunfire and later pursued a suspect on foot through a Rapid City neighborhood.
According to police, officers were dispatched at approximately 4:25 a.m. on July 7 to the 100 block of Monroe Street following reports of gunshots in the area. A caller told authorities they had observed a pickup truck nearby and saw a person allegedly firing shots from the vehicle’s window.
Responding officers located a pickup truck parked in a parking lot in the 100 block of Waterloo Street. Police said they observed a male exit the driver’s seat carrying a handgun before fleeing north on foot. As the suspect got out of the vehicle, officers reportedly saw a spent shell casing fall from inside the pickup onto the ground.
Officers immediately pursued the man. During the chase, the suspect fell and dropped the handgun, police said. As he attempted to regain control of the weapon, a pursuing officer was able to secure the firearm by grabbing it and throwing it away from the suspect before taking him into custody.
The suspect was identified as Joseph Stevens, 22, of Box Elder.
Police reported that Stevens exhibited signs of alcohol impairment. Investigators also determined that ammunition found in his possession matched shell casings recovered from the area where the gunshots had originally been reported.
Stevens was arrested and charged with Discharging a Firearm From a Moving Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), and Obstruction. He was transported to the Pennington County Jail.
The incident remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.
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