Wild Off-Road Pursuit Ends With Seven Eau Claire Police Cars Damaged

A Bike Trail Call Turns Into a Citywide Pursuit

At 6:42 a.m. on April 3, 2025, Eau Claire police received a report that a vehicle was being driven on a bicycle trail. What followed was anything but an ordinary traffic stop.

The driver, later identified by police as Nathan Stevens of Eau Claire, did not stop when officers attempted to pull him over. Officers briefly lost sight of the SUV, found it again, and then watched the situation escalate across city streets, residential neighborhoods and open ground.

The supplied police video shows how difficult the pursuit became. Stevens repeatedly changes direction, leaves normal road surfaces and continues even as officers try to contain him. Police vehicles converge from different directions, only for the SUV to find another path forward.

By the time the chase ended in a field near Prospect Drive, seven Eau Claire Police Department squad cars had been damaged. Police later said five were likely total losses. Three officers were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and were treated and released.

The arrest itself was not immediate. After officers boxed in and disabled the SUV, Stevens refused commands to get out. Police deployed pepper balls and ultimately approached behind shields to physically remove him.

Months later, the criminal case reached a final resolution. Stevens entered no-contest pleas to two counts of fleeing or eluding an officer resulting in bodily harm. In November 2025, an Eau Claire County judge sentenced him to five years in prison followed by two years of extended supervision on each count, with the terms running concurrently but consecutive to time imposed in a separate supervision revocation.

The chase lasted less than an hour from the first report to the arrest, but its consequences stretched far beyond that morning.

The First Report Comes Before Sunrise

Police said the first call came at approximately 6:42 a.m.

The complaint was unusual from the beginning: a motorist was reportedly driving on a bicycle path in Eau Claire.

Officers responded and attempted a traffic stop.

According to the criminal complaint later summarized by local news, the driver did not stop and officers lost sight of the vehicle.

That temporary loss of visual contact did not end the incident.

Another officer soon saw the SUV and began following it. The driver moved into oncoming traffic and ran a stop sign, according to the complaint, before that officer also lost sight of him.

The repeated disappearances created a difficult pursuit environment. Instead of a continuous highway chase with one patrol vehicle directly behind the suspect, officers had to relocate the SUV as it moved through the city.

The Driver Is Identified as Nathan Stevens

Eau Claire police identified the driver as Nathan Stevens.

Initial police information described him as 41 years old at the time of the April incident. Later court coverage listed him as 42 as the case progressed.

Police said they believed Stevens was under the influence of an intoxicant.

They also reported finding methamphetamine in the vehicle after the chase.

Those statements formed part of the arrest-stage allegations. They should not be confused with the charges that ultimately produced the prison sentence.

The final November disposition centered on two counts of fleeing or eluding an officer resulting in bodily harm.

The Dashcam Shows a Pursuit That Refuses to Stay on the Road

The title of the supplied video emphasizes an “off-road chase,” and the footage supports that description.

The SUV does not remain confined to ordinary traffic lanes.

At different points, officers pursue across areas where the normal geometry of a road chase disappears. Curbs, shoulders, grass and open terrain become possible escape routes.

That makes containment harder.

A patrol car can block a lane, but it cannot necessarily block a field.

An intersection can be covered by another unit, but a suspect willing to cross grass or leave the roadway can create an entirely new route in seconds.

The footage repeatedly demonstrates that problem.

Police Say a Pedestrian Was Nearly Hit

Eau Claire Police said Stevens drove dangerously and nearly struck a pedestrian.

The department also said he jumped curbs, ran stop signs and drove into oncoming traffic on the west side of Eau Claire.

Those details explain why the pursuit became more than a simple effort to identify a driver.

Every additional maneuver increased the potential risk to people who had no connection to the incident.

The early hour likely reduced some traffic and pedestrian activity, but it did not eliminate the danger.

Homes, intersections and public streets remain visible throughout the video.

Officers Try to Box In the SUV

The criminal complaint describes officers attempting to box the suspect vehicle in.

A box-in works by using police vehicles to restrict the suspect's available movement.

In a cooperative stop, surrounding a vehicle can end the incident without impact.

Here, police said Stevens struck squad cars and continued driving.

That decision changed the physical character of the pursuit.

Police vehicles were no longer simply following. They were becoming obstacles the SUV was allegedly willing to hit in order to keep moving.

Seven Squad Cars Are Damaged

The most striking numerical detail from the incident is the damage to the police fleet.

Eau Claire Police said seven squad cars were damaged.

Five were believed likely to be total losses.

For a local department, that is a significant operational impact from a single pursuit.

The number also gives context to what viewers see in the footage. Multiple officers are not arriving simply because the department has chosen to flood the scene with units. Several police vehicles are being used in repeated attempts to stop a driver who has already demonstrated a willingness to continue after contact.

Three Officers Are Taken to the Hospital

Police reported that three officers were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

All three were treated and released.

The injuries matter because they later connect directly to the criminal charges that survived through the final court disposition.

Stevens ultimately pleaded no contest to two counts of fleeing or eluding an officer resulting in bodily harm.

The final case therefore was not only about refusing to stop. It involved a pursuit in which officers were hurt while attempting to bring the vehicle to a halt.

The Pursuit Moves Toward Prospect Drive

The chase eventually moved outside the tighter residential street network.

News crews later found the final scene near County Road T and Prospect Drive, outside A and J Mobility.

The supplied footage shows the pursuit reaching more open terrain.

This changes the tactical problem again.

Open ground gives the fleeing SUV more room to maneuver, but it can also give officers space to coordinate a more decisive containment attempt without the same density of houses, parked cars and intersections.

The Final Stop Requires Direct Contact

According to the criminal complaint, the pursuit finally ended when an officer rammed Stevens' vehicle and disabled it.

The video shows multiple units around the SUV at the end of the chase.

The stop is not a clean, single-car maneuver. It is the culmination of repeated attempts to contain a vehicle that police say had already struck squads and continued moving.

Eau Claire's 2025 annual report later recognized Officer Ariana Larson with the department's Shield of Valor for her actions during this incident.

The report states that Larson was serving as a police training officer during the pursuit and remained calm while guiding a newer officer. It says the pair ultimately went head-on into the suspect vehicle, helping bring the pursuit to an end.

That official recognition adds important context to the final moments visible in the released footage.

Stopping the SUV Does Not End the Standoff

Once the suspect vehicle was immobilized, officers still faced another problem.

Stevens would not exit.

The video includes a period in which officers remain positioned around the vehicle and issue commands.

Police said non-lethal force was used.

The footage's on-screen explanation states that officers deployed pepper balls and later used shields to physically remove the driver.

That sequence shows why a pursuit ending does not necessarily mean the danger has ended.

Officers still have to transition from stopping a vehicle to safely taking the occupant into custody.

Pepper Balls Are Used

Police deployed pepper balls after Stevens continued refusing commands.

Pepper-ball systems are designed to deliver an irritant from a distance and can give officers another option before moving into close physical contact.

In this incident, they did not immediately produce a surrender.

Officers therefore had to close the distance.

The video shows personnel assembling with protective equipment as they prepare for the extraction.

Officers Advance Behind Shields

The final removal is methodical compared with the chaos of the pursuit.

Officers use shields as they approach the SUV.

The objective has changed completely.

Minutes earlier, patrol cars were trying to keep pace with a moving vehicle.

Now the vehicle is stationary, and the problem is gaining access to a driver who police say refuses to comply.

The shields allow officers to move closer with additional protection while maintaining a coordinated formation.

Stevens is eventually physically removed and taken into custody around 7:20 a.m., according to police.

Methamphetamine Is Reported Inside the Vehicle

After the arrest, Eau Claire Police said methamphetamine was found in Stevens' vehicle.

Police also said they believed he had been under the influence of an intoxicant.

Initial arrest information listed suspicion of several offenses, including possession of methamphetamine and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

Those allegations were part of the broader case at the time of arrest.

The later plea agreement did not result in convictions on every original allegation, which is why the final legal outcome needs to be described separately from the initial charge list.

The Initial Allegations Are Extensive

Following the chase, police said Stevens was arrested on suspicion of fleeing or eluding, hit and run with injury, possession of methamphetamine, operating while intoxicated, recklessly endangering safety, resisting and a probation hold.

As the prosecution developed, the filed case included two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and several other offenses.

In August 2025, Stevens pleaded not guilty.

At that stage, none of those charges could properly be described as convictions.

The case still had to move through the Eau Claire County Circuit Court.

A Recent Release From Prison Becomes Part of the Context

Police and court reporting said Stevens had been released from prison and paroled on March 27, 2025.

The pursuit occurred on April 3.

That places the incident approximately one week after the reported release.

Local reporting also noted a prior January 2022 felony conviction for criminal damage to property.

These details became relevant to the later sentencing because Stevens also faced an extended-supervision revocation.

The new prison sentence was ordered to run consecutive to the time imposed in connection with that revocation.

The Case Continues Through the Summer

By August, the case had reached arraignment.

Stevens pleaded not guilty on August 12, 2025.

At that time, local reporting described charges including two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety along with other offenses stemming from the pursuit.

A status conference was scheduled for November.

The legal posture was still unresolved.

This matters because the dramatic police video circulated while the court case was still developing. Viewers encountering the footage at that stage would have seen allegations, not a final adjudication.

The November Plea Changes the Legal Picture

The case reached a plea and sentencing hearing on November 20, 2025.

Online court records reviewed by WEAU showed that Stevens was found guilty based on no-contest pleas to two counts of vehicle operator fleeing or eluding an officer resulting in bodily harm.

The remaining charges were dismissed and read in.

A dismissed-and-read-in charge is not the same as a conviction on that count.

The two fleeing counts are therefore the convictions that should anchor any description of the final legal outcome.

Five Years in Prison

The court imposed five years in prison followed by two years of extended supervision on each count.

The two sentences run concurrently with each other.

However, they were ordered to run consecutive to the time imposed in Stevens' pending extended-supervision revocation.

The court also ordered restitution and court costs.

Stevens received 231 days of sentence credit to be applied as described in the court record.

This November sentencing provides a clear endpoint that was unavailable when the pursuit first made local news in April.

Why the Seven Damaged Squads Matter Beyond the Headline

Seven damaged police cars make an attention-grabbing headline, but the number represents more than property damage.

Every disabled squad is a vehicle temporarily or permanently removed from service.

Five likely total losses can affect fleet availability, replacement schedules and municipal costs.

More importantly, the collisions involved officers occupying those vehicles.

Three officers required hospital evaluation.

The physical damage therefore reflects the intensity of the attempts to stop the SUV and the risk faced by the officers involved.

The Annual Report Adds an Official Department Perspective

Eau Claire Police's annual report provides a later institutional view of the chase.

Officer Ariana Larson received the Shield of Valor, an award for extraordinary bravery and courage in the line of duty.

The department wrote that the pursuit presented a threat to the Eau Claire community and that officers needed to stop that threat.

Larson was serving as a police training officer and was responsible not only for her own decisions but also for guiding a newer officer through an unusually dangerous event.

The report says their vehicle eventually went head-on into the suspect vehicle and helped end the pursuit.

That recognition demonstrates how seriously the department viewed the final intervention.

The Video Shows Why Simple Pursuit Labels Can Be Misleading

Calling this a “car chase” does not fully describe what happened.

Traditional chase footage often follows a simple pattern: suspect vehicle ahead, police vehicle behind, both traveling along the same roadway.

This pursuit repeatedly breaks that pattern.

The SUV uses unconventional paths.

Officers lose and regain visual contact.

Units try to contain the vehicle rather than merely follow it.

Police cars make contact and sustain damage.

The chase leaves normal road surfaces.

Finally, multiple units coordinate to disable the SUV in open terrain.

That complexity is what makes the footage compelling without requiring exaggerated narration.

The Time Stamp Helps Verify the Incident

The supplied video displays an April 3, 2025 date on Eau Claire Police AXON recordings.

The time progresses through the period immediately after 7 a.m.

That aligns closely with the department's public timeline.

Police said the initial report came at 6:42 a.m. and that Stevens was taken into custody at approximately 7:20 a.m.

The matching date, department markings, timing, final location and seven-squad damage narrative make the identification of the footage unusually strong.

What Can Be Seen and What Comes From Records

The footage is valuable, but it cannot answer every question.

It visibly documents the pursuit, police vehicles, off-road movement, the containment effort and the arrest scene.

It does not independently prove what substance was found inside the SUV.

It does not establish Stevens' supervision status.

It cannot tell viewers the final criminal disposition because that happened months later in court.

Those facts come from police statements, the criminal complaint, court records and the department's annual report.

Combining the sources creates a fuller account while keeping each claim tied to the evidence that supports it.

The Chase Ends Without a Reported Fatality

Despite the repeated vehicle impacts and dangerous driving described by police, the incident did not produce a reported fatality.

Three officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were released after treatment.

That outcome is significant given the number of damaged police vehicles and the department's allegation that Stevens drove into opposing traffic, jumped curbs and nearly struck a pedestrian.

It would be easy to describe the chase using more dramatic language, but the verified facts already communicate the danger clearly.

Why the Story Holds Attention

The pursuit has a natural escalation that makes it unusually effective as a long-form police-video story.

It begins with a strange call about a vehicle on a bike trail.

A traffic stop fails.

Officers lose the SUV.

Another officer finds it.

The driver allegedly enters oncoming traffic and ignores stop signs.

More units arrive.

Box-in attempts fail.

Squad cars are struck.

The pursuit leaves normal streets.

Officers finally disable the SUV.

Then the driver refuses to get out, forcing police to switch from vehicle tactics to pepper balls, shields and a physical extraction.

Months later comes the courtroom ending: two convictions and a prison sentence.

Each stage answers one question while creating the next.

A Pursuit With a Documented Ending

Many bodycam and dashcam videos end at the moment of arrest, leaving viewers without a reliable answer about what happened in court.

This case is different.

The April police account establishes the pursuit and arrest.

The criminal complaint provides additional details about the attempted stops and collisions.

August reporting documents Stevens' initial not-guilty plea.

November court reporting establishes the no-contest pleas and sentence.

Finally, Eau Claire Police's annual report records the department's recognition of Officer Larson's role in ending the pursuit.

Together, those sources allow the story to be followed from the first 911-style report through the final sentencing.

The Final Minutes Bring Every Part of the Chase Together

At the end of the video, the chase has moved far from the original bike-trail complaint.

Damaged squads are scattered through the broader incident.

Officers surround an immobilized SUV.

The driver remains inside.

Commands continue.

Pepper balls are used.

Shields come forward.

Only then is Stevens removed.

Those final minutes demonstrate how many different problems officers had to solve in sequence: locate the vehicle, maintain the pursuit, protect surrounding traffic, stop the SUV and finally make the arrest.

What the Case Ultimately Became

The most accurate way to describe the final case is narrower than the original list of allegations.

Nathan Stevens was convicted after no-contest pleas on two counts of fleeing or eluding an officer resulting in bodily harm.

He received five years in prison and two years of extended supervision on each count, concurrent with each other but consecutive to the separate revocation time.

That outcome avoids two common mistakes in police-video reporting.

It does not treat every arrest allegation as a conviction.

And it does not stop the story at the handcuffs when a later court result is publicly available.

Watch the Full Pursuit

The full footage is worth watching because the seven damaged squad cars make more sense when seen as part of a continuing series of attempts to contain the SUV.

Watch how quickly the chase moves between different environments. Notice the moments when officers lose the vehicle and then reacquire it. Pay attention to the repeated attempts to restrict its movement and how the SUV continues after contact.

The final field scene is especially important. The vehicle has been stopped, but officers still have to resolve a refusal to exit. The pace slows, yet the tactical problem remains serious until Stevens is physically removed.

The courtroom outcome months later gives the footage a definitive ending that many pursuit videos lack.