Subject in Custody Following Incident at I-80 Speedway

GREENWOOD–(News Release May 9)–One person is in custody following an incident Sunday afternoon at the I-80 Speedway, near Greenwood.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, the Nebraska State Patrol was notified that a pickup had driven through a fence adjacent to I-80 near mile marker 417. Troopers responded to the area and learned that subject had since traveled to the Cubby’s gas station at the Greenwood I-80 interchange, at mile marker 420. The subject was reportedly armed with a hammer and had threatened to carjack a motorist.

Pilots in the NSP helicopter then observed a subject attempting to gain access to several vehicles around I-80 Speedway, across Highway 63 from the gas station. The pilots directed troopers and Cass County deputies to the area where a trooper was able to locate the subject. The subject then ran across the track and into the grandstand area on the west side of the facility.

A trooper caught up to the subject and began speaking with the subject. During that time the trooper observed the subject attempting to harm himself with a shard of glass. The man ignored the trooper’s commands to drop the glass, so the trooper deployed a taser. The man was then taken into custody without further incident.

The subject has been placed in emergency protective custody at the Lancaster County Mental Health Crisis Center. Once released from protective care, the subject will be lodged in Cass County Jail for attempted robbery, flight to avoid arrest, and vandalism.