Lang
9/19/20
An Arizona man faces numerous charges after a wild police chase on Interstate 380 Friday night.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, just after 5:45pm troopers were chasing 32-year-old Robert Knopp of Bullhead, Arizona, as he drove a 2020 Kia Sportage out of Linn County on I-380 at speeds reaching up to as high as 133 miles per hour near mile marker 4, passing other vehicles on the shoulder.
Knopp then exited at the Forevergreen Road exit, failing to stop at the stop sign of the top of the ramp. He then crossed the bridge and headed south in the northbound lanes of I-380 into the construction zone. Just before reaching the Highway 6 overpass, Knopp hit an unmarked Johnson County Sheriff’s Office patrol car, got out of his vehicle and climbed into a construction truck parked in the median.
Knopp drove the Ford F350 Super Duty north on I-380 before leaving the road and going over an embankment. He fled on foot eastbound along the railroad tracks and was found hiding in the grass.
Knopp allegedly failed to comply with deputies. Investigators say he was found in possession of a spoon, cloth filters and baggies. Numerous unused syringes and one used syringe were found inside his vehicle.
Knopp is charged with 1st Degree Theft, Interference With Official Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and numerous traffic violations. If convicted, he faces a maximum of ten years in prison.
There is no indication of which charges he faces out of Linn County.