Colorado Man Arrested After 110 MPH Pursuit in Lincoln

A high-speed pursuit in Lincoln ends with the arrest of a Colorado man

A Chevrolet Impala traveling at speeds exceeding 110 miles per hour triggered a multi-agency pursuit through northeastern Lancaster County on Thursday, ending with the arrest of a 44-year-old man. The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) reported that the incident began shortly after 12:00 p.m. when authorities received word of a hit-and-run involving the vehicle on Interstate 80 near Lincoln. The driver reportedly struck the back of a trailer before continuing eastbound, setting off a chain of events that spanned highways and residential areas.

The pursuit moved through several distinct phases as law enforcement attempted to intercept the vehicle. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, a trooper spotted the Impala on I-80 about 15 minutes after the initial report. When the trooper attempted a traffic stop, the driver accelerated, reaching speeds over 110 mph. The chase eventually transitioned to southbound 56th Street, where the trooper made the tactical decision to discontinue the pursuit due to the high volume of traffic and the risk to public safety.

The vehicle did not remain out of reach for long. As reported by KLKN, another trooper located the speeding vehicle on Highway 6, heading eastbound out of Lincoln. Despite another attempt to stop the car, the driver refused to yield. This prompted the NSP AirWing to take over the pursuit from the air, tracking the vehicle as it fled toward Waverly before it turned around and headed back into the Lincoln area.

Firearms and felony charges emerge during the chase

The legal stakes of the pursuit escalated significantly while the vehicle was in motion. During the flight along Highway 6, the driver is suspected of throwing a firearm out of the moving vehicle onto the roadway near 98th Street. NSP troopers successfully recovered the weapon at that location.

Colorado Man Arrested After 110 MPH Pursuit in Lincoln — Photo: klkntv.com

The pursuit concluded near the intersection of 71st and Douglas streets. NSP pilots tracked the Impala to this area, where the driver parked the car and exited, attempting to walk away from the scene. Ground units directed by the AirWing moved in and took the driver into custody without further incident. The suspect has been identified as James Bernard, 44, of Thornton, Colorado.

Bernard faces a long list of serious allegations stemming from the 12-minute chase. Based on the official report from the Nebraska State Patrol, his charges include:

Flight to avoid arrest
Willful reckless driving
Possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person
Possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony
Possession of a controlled substance
Other related charges

The impact of high-speed chases on local safety

While the pursuit lasted only about 12 minutes, the sequence of events highlights the volatile intersection of hit-and-run incidents and high-speed evasion. The transition from a highway collision to a pursuit involving firearms and controlled substances presents a complex challenge for local law enforcement, particularly when drivers move from controlled interstate environments into high-traffic city streets.

The decision to break off the pursuit on 56th Street illustrates the standard safety protocols used by Nebraska State Patrol troopers when facing high-speed vehicles in populated zones. By handing the operation over to the NSP AirWing, authorities were able to maintain visual contact without placing pedestrians and other motorists at direct risk from a 110-mph vehicle in a high-traffic corridor.

As the legal process begins for Bernard, the investigation into the initial hit-and-run on I-80 and the circumstances surrounding the discarded firearm will likely continue to unfold.