A high-speed pursuit that began near Battle Mountain ended with an arrest west of Elko after troopers used a tire deflation device to slow a fleeing driver who later ran from his vehicle, authorities said.

On Thursday, June 4, 2026, around 1:30, a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper observed a white Toyota Camry traveling in excess of the posted speed limit near Battle Mountain in Lander County. When the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, it accelerated to 116 mph. The Camry began passing on the outside shoulder, and the pursuit was terminated in the interest of public safety.

At 2 p.m., another trooper observed the Camry near Carlin on Interstate 80 as it exited via the Central Carlin off-ramp. The vehicle accelerated and traveled west on Chestnut Street, then went south on State Route 278 toward Eureka. The Camry traveled down a mine access road off State Route 278, and the trooper lost visual contact. Additional troopers responded and attempted to locate the Camry along the mine access road but were unsuccessful.

At 3:02 p.m., the vehicle was observed traveling northbound on State Route 278 while being pursued by the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office and Carlin Police Department. Troopers then pursued the Camry on Interstate 80 eastbound from Carlin as it traveled 115 mph.

Troopers successfully deployed a tire deflation device, also known as a Stop Stick, as the vehicle entered the Carlin Tunnel. The Camry slowed to about 80 mph after the left front tire tread separated from the rim. The vehicle continued eastbound on Interstate 80 toward Elko and slowed to 20 mph.

The driver exited the moving vehicle near mile marker 297, about one mile west of the West Elko (State Route 535) interchange, and the vehicle came to rest in the center median. The driver ran south across the eastbound travel lanes and entered the ranching area south of Interstate 80.

For the next 30 minutes, law enforcement pursued the male suspect on foot through various terrain west of the city of Elko. At 3:48 p.m., the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

David Basil Mercer was booked into the Elko County Jail on charges of basic speed, 41+ mph over the posted speed limit; reckless driving; evade, elude or fail to stop; resisting a public officer; using or being under the influence of a controlled substance; possession of a controlled substance; and DUI.

Nevada Highway Patrol thanked its partner agencies, including the Eureka County Sheriff’s Office, Carlin Police Department, Elko Police Department, Elko County Sheriff’s Office, and the Parole and Probation Division of the Nevada State Police.

More than a quarter-million Nevadans had participated in the state’s primary elections as of Friday afternoon, a few hours before the two weeks of early voting concluded.

The 270,008 people who had voted in person or returned a mail ballot amounted to a roughly 11 percent participation rate out of the more than 2.4 million active and inactive registered voters in Nevada as of Monday.

At least 181,139 ballots had been returned statewide, and 86,869 people had voted in person since May 23.

Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, Nevada’s chief election official, said Friday that the early voting process had proceeded without hiccups, crediting county clerks and election workers.

“Everything has gone very smoothly,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Clerks have been preparing for this moment since the day after the 2024 election.”

Aguilar said he otherwise wished turnout was higher.

Nevadans who want to vote in person still have one final chance: on Election Day Tuesday.

Those who wish to mail back their ballots can do so through that day, although Aguilar recommends that they take them to drop boxes or polling locations instead, to ensure that they are counted.

For now, Nevada law allows returned mail ballots to be counted several days after Election Day. Ballots postmarked by Election Day are accepted for up to four days, while mail returned without a legible postmark is accepted for up to three days.

A Supreme Court ruling — which is expected to come down after the primaries — could lead to the reversal of laws in Nevada and about a dozen other states that allow the counting of mail ballots received days after Election Day.

If the higher court rules against Mississippi, whose law was challenged by the Republican National Committee and the Mississippi Libertarian Party, the change could go into effect as early as November’s midterm elections.

“As opposed to any of the president’s executive orders, we can’t challenge a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court or file a lawsuit against it,” Aguilar said in late May. “We have to accept it.”

About 57,000 Clark County residents had voted early and in person as of Friday afternoon, state data showed. Almost 108,000 had returned their mail ballots.

Aguilar said that he’s been encouraging clerks to push voters whose mail ballots require signature verification, a process known as curing, to get it done as soon as possible.

Clark County had flagged at least 1,621 ballots that needed curing as of Friday afternoon. At least 543 of those voters had since verified their signatures.

There is a plethora of nonpartisan and partisan local, state and federal races on the ballot. Some can be won outright this month. For others, like congressional and the governor’s races, voters will have a chance to dwindle the field that will then face off in November.

Nevada offers same-day, in-person registration for inactive voters, which requires a state identification card. Registered voters can track their ballots at myballot.nv.gov and update their contact information at vote.nv.gov.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Update| A missing person alert issued in North Las Vegas has been canceled after the person was found dead.

The North Las Vegas Police Department said the missing person alert has been canceled and that the person has been identified as a man found deceased on Wednesday.

Original| North Las Vegas police are asking for the public’s help to find a missing endangered man who walked away from his home early Wednesday and did not return.

Raul Soriano was last seen Wednesday, June 3, at about 3 a.m. at his residence in the 2600 block of West Lake Mead Boulevard.

Police said he left home in an unknown direction to go to the store and never came back.

Soriano is a 75-year-old Asian man who is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. He has short white hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a T-shirt, black pants and a black hat.

Police said Soriano walks slowly with a noticeable limp. He was not wearing his dentures and has no teeth. Police said he has diabetes and requires medication.

Anyone with information about Soriano’s whereabouts is asked to contact the North Las Vegas Police Department at 702-633-9111.