A man well-known to Columbia Falls and Flathead County law enforcement is now behind bars after a high-speed chase from Columbia Falls to Whitefish Dec. 3.

Aaron Martin McGarry, 38, of Kalispell  had been on the lam for more than a month after he failed to show up for his Oct. 30 sentencing for felony assault on a police officer stemming from an incident on Feb. 10. 

McGarry fled from a marked patrol vehicle in the area of Hilltop Road, initiating a pursuit, a press release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s office said.

He continued onto U.S. Highway 2 toward Whitefish, reaching speeds estimated between 80–100 mph and driving into oncoming traffic. The pursuit proceeded onto Highway 40 and into the City of Whitefish, where the suspect ultimately crashed near a residence in the area of O’Brien Avenue.

The driver fled on foot but was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit and taken into custody without further incident. 

The felony assault charge on a police officer came after an incident on Feb. 10, according to court documents. McGarry was sitting inside a running blue Ford Focus and allegedly shifted the vehicle into drive when the deputies tried to pull him out. 

The compact car pulled along the two deputies for a short stretch, court documents said. At least one feared the possibility of being run over. 

After the deputies disengaged, the Focus fled southbound on Antelope Trail near Whitefish and disappeared, court documents said. 

McGarry has a long criminal history, including his arrest during a standoff on Liberty Street in Kalispell in May 2022. In that case, McGarry received a three-year sentence with the Department of Corrections on a felony theft conviction. 

He also has a 2020 criminal endangerment conviction which stemmed from an incident where he allegedly used a Taser on the mother of his children who lived in Columbia Falls at the time. 

In an incident in May, 2019, McGarry allegedly used a Taser on a woman three times while she tried to call 911. 

According to charging documents, dispatch received a 911 call in which the victim could be heard begging McGarry to stop and to let her go. Upon their arrival at the scene, police officers were informed by the victim that, after a verbal altercation, McGarry had pushed her onto a couch and shocked her three times while she attempted to call 911. The victim was unable to speak with the dispatcher until she escaped from McGarry and was able to lock herself in an adjacent bedroom.
 

After this latest arrest, he's now facing more drug and criminal endangerment charges in addition to the bail jumping and assault on a police officer charge.

Deputies were assisted by the Whitefish Police Department and the Montana Highway Patrol in the chase.