WY Man Pleads Guilty in Shootout With SD Officers

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A Wyoming man accused of shooting at law officers after a vehicle chase in western South Dakota has pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Forty-two-year-old James Baker of Gillette, Wyo., had faced an attempted murder charge after the Jan. 10 shootout with officers in the Rapid City area. He pleaded guilty on Friday to aggravated assault on a public officer and committing a felony with a firearm, in a deal with prosecutors who will recommend a prison term of 70 years.

Baker's attorney said his client was trying to commit suicide and regretted the incident. He is to be sentenced Jan. 4.

No officers were hit in the shootout but Baker was wounded and hospitalized.