Highway Pursuit Ends with a Fatality [AUDIO]

A Cheyenne man died as a result of a Saturday crash trying to elude a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper. Patrol Sgt. Stephen Townsend said that Brian Bonomo, 35, was initially stopped for speeding.

Began as traffic stop:

"This took place on Saturday the 12th, little bit before 9 pm, started out just a couple miles north of Douglas on WYO 59. The suspect was stopped for a traffic violation. In fact, he had been already issued his speeding citation and all of his paperwork returned to him when the trooper mentioned that he could smell marijuana."

Sgt. Townsend said that's when the first chase began.

Stop turns to pursuit:

"There was a brief argument from Mr. Bonomo and he then put his vehicle in gear and attempted to elude the trooper northbound on WYO 59. It did start about mile post 6, and where they turned off on Walker Creek Road was at about mile post 11, so it couldn't have been very long, and they only went about a mile before they stopped the second time."

It appeared as if Bonomo was going to cooperate during the second stop, but then he fled from the trooper again.

First pursuit ends:

"He eventually did obey the trooper's commands and get face down on the the roadway, and the trooper was waiting for backup to arrive and the gentleman jumped back up before the backup got there and got back in his vehicle and attempted to elude the trooper once again."

Sgt. Townsend said the trooper had backed off the pursuit and didn't see the crash happen.

Trooper de-escalates:

"The vehicle left the roadway and rolled multiple times. The driver was not wearing his seat belt and during the rollover was ejected from the vehicle."

The release from the Wyoming Highway Patrol says Bonomo died at the hospital in Douglas Sunday night.