The Sac County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit was brought in to assist the Storm Lake Police Department and the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office in the pursuit of a suspect. The incident began at approximately 9:30 p.m. Thursday when the Storm Lake PD responded to a domestic assault report. Upon arrival at the residence on North Erie Street, they were notified that 23-year-old Bidong Yak had allegedly bit and hit his girlfriend then fled from the scene in a 2003 Volkswagen before police arrived. The woman suffered minor injuries in the attack. Later that night, at around 10:11 p.m., an officer spotted the vehicle. When the officer attempted to stop Yak, he sped away, heading east on Lakeshore Drive at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Pursuit ended near the intersection of Highway 71 and Highway 7 south of Storm Lake, but unmarked vehicles monitored Yak’s travel around the south side of town. He then re-entered the city limits through Lakeside, and police once again attempted to stop the vehicle near the Storm Lake campground. Yak drove off the road, exited the car and fled on foot. A perimeter was established and the Sac County K-9 brought in. At approximately 11:11 p.m., authorities were notified Yak had returned to the Erie Street address. He was located there, taken into custody and charged with eluding, a class D felony, domestic assault causing bodily injury, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and public intoxication, second offense, all serious misdemeanors. He was also charged with open container, failure to obey traffic control devices, failure to obey a stop sign and three counts of speeding, all simple misdemeanors. He was booked into the Buena Vista County jail and held without bond. A passenger in the vehicle during the pursuit, 24-year-old Nyacamp Gatwech of Storm Lake, was also arrested, booked into the jail on a $300 bond and charged with open container, a simple misdemeanor. The Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division also assisted in this incident.
