Grand Island Police arrest man after car chase

GRAND ISLAND, NE — A Grand Island man is behind bars after police say he led them on a chase while on drugs.

Police say they saw 21-year-old Dakota Pankonin driving on N. Broadwell Ave. near W. 6th St. around 7:45 Friday night. His license is revoked, so officers tried to perform a traffic stop. Police say Pankonin sped away and made several quick turns to try to lose them. He turned into an alley to avoid a second attempt at a traffic stop before eventually stopping in the 200 block of N. Grace Ave.

Police say Pankonin’s passengers told them he was driving recklessly and they were scared.

Officers say a sobriety test showed he was grossly impaired. They arrested Pankonin for flight to avoid arrest, driving during revocation, driving under the influence of drugs, and three other drug charges.