Greeley Man Who Got Too Close to Old Faithful Arrested After Police Chase

· Sep. 21, 2018, 1:14 pm

Photo: Old Faithful | Yellowstone thermal activity- AP — Tourists photograph Old Faithful erupting on schedule late in the afternoon in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. A thermal spring near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park has erupted for the fourth time in the last 60 years, a park official said Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018.

A man accused of walking dangerously close to Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park faces additional charges after a police chase in Wyoming's capital city.

Police said Thursday that they arrested 27-year-old Gabriel Villalva of Greeley, Colorado, after he drove recklessly around Cheyenne, which is a seven-hour drive from Yellowstone.

Police say they stopped Villalva with spike strips after a 15-minute chase Wednesday. They say he spun his wheels and his SUV caught fire.

Police say they fired beanbag rounds to subdue him.

Yellowstone rangers cited Villalva for walking off boardwalks and within a few feet of Old Faithful on Sept. 14. Tourists also captured video of a man resembling Villalva sitting next to one of Yellowstone's hottest springs.

Villalva was jailed Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

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