NDHP airplane helps capture man suspected of fleeing traffic stops

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) – A North Dakota Highway Patrol airplane helped Bismarck Police capture a driver who fled from two attempted traffic stops on Tuesday.

After the driver fled the first time, the airplane was used to track the vehicle east of Bismarck on I-94, where a state trooper initiated a second traffic stop. The driver took off again, but the trooper did not pursue.

The airplane eventually tracked the vehicle and two people to a Bismarck residence.  Officers made contact at the residence and arrested 32-year-old Brandon Schweitzer.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol was conducting an airplane traffic detail when the incident happened. During the detail, the highway patrol’s airplane monitored traffic stops conducted by officers in the Bismarck-Mandan area.