Bend Police took an Idaho man into custody after a long standoff Sunday afternoon. The incident began when the reckless driver eluded law enforcement. According to Bend Police, at approximately 12:30 p.m., an off-duty Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputy called 911 to report a reckless driver traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 20 near Millican. The gold Toyota Sequoia was passing illegally, speeding, swerving and nearly causing crashes.
An Oregon State Police trooper spotted the vehicle, and the trooper and a Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputy attempted a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as a 42-year-old Idaho man, eluded the deputy and trooper, who pursued the suspect vehicle but discontinued their pursuit before entering Bend. Deputies deployed a spike strip outside city limits, but were unsuccessful.
The driver turned southbound on NE 27th Street, then westbound on Knott Road. He continued speeding, ultimately heading north on Brookswood Boulevard. Bend Police and Sheriff’s deputies staged in a variety of locations but did not pursue. At approximately 1:08 p.m., a Bend Police officer successfully deployed spike strips, but the suspect continued to drive recklessly northbound on Brookswood. He crossed into oncoming traffic and hit an approaching vehicle head-on. The two people in the other vehicle remain hospitalized at this time.
The suspect then ran from his vehicle and at approximately 1:24 p.m., he climbed onto the roof of a detached garage in the 20000 block of SW Sunny Way. For approximately two hours, officers and deputies negotiated to no avail. Officers and deputies then used multiple less-lethal options, including firing pepper balls containing chemical irritants and 40-millimeter less-lethal ammunition. The suspect was taken into custody at approximately 3:39 p.m.
Bend Police wish to thank the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police for their assistance, as well as Bend Fire for providing a ladder truck to help remove the suspect from the roof.
The suspect was transported to St. Charles Bend for evaluation, and then jailed on the following charges: Assault II – 2 counts, Felony Hit & Run, Reckless Driving/Reckless Endangering (multiple counts – total number to be determined), Elude – Felony, Elude – Misdemeanor, DUII .
During this incident, Brookswood Boulevard was closed between Murphy Road and Reed Market Road for several hours.
