Carjacking Suspect In Custody After Leading Claremore Police On Chase

A man is in custody after Claremore Police said he stole someone’s truck at gunpoint then led officers on a chase and hid in the woods.

An officer was hurt during the pursuit after crashing into another car, investigators said. The officer and the other people involved in the crash will all be OK, police said.

Investigators said that officer spotted the suspect, Colton Tyler West, in the truck that was stolen out of Nowata County earlier Monday.

After the chase, police said West abandoned the stolen truck and ran off into the woods. Officers set up a perimeter west of Lynn Riggs Boulevard near West Country Club Road.

Other agencies offered K-9s, drones and a helicopter to find West. Police said he eventually gave himself up around 6:30 p.m.

While West hid in a mostly-wooded area, there were some homes in the area.

Walter Lavine said officers searched for the suspect near his driveway. Lavine locked his doors and was hopeful West would be caught quick since there was word he could have been armed.

“Kept looking through the front window and the back window,” said Lavine. “Relatives were calling and asking what was going on and stuff, so I was filling them in.”

West is in the Rogers County Jail, facing charges of possession of a stolen car and running from police.