NE Bend RV standoff ends with use of ‘chemical irritant,’ suspect’s surrender

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend man spotted driving recklessly left his car and hid in a nearby parked motor home late Saturday afternoon, prompting a 2-hour standoff that ended with his surrender after police sent a chemical powder irritant through a window, police said.

Around 4:15 p.m., an officer spotted a white Lincoln Contintental being driven recklessly near Northeast Fourth Street and Franklin Avenue, Lt. Robert Jones said.

As the officer tried to catch up to the car, the driver, later identified as Luke Anthony Martin, 36, drove through the parking lot of Chevrolet-Cadillac of Bend on Northeast Third Street, left the lot on Second Street and came to a stop.

Martin then ran from the car and got into a nearby motor home, parked on the east side of Second Street, Jones said.

Officers surrounded the motor home as the owner, a 20-year-old Bend woman, came out and told officers Martin was hiding inside. He did not live in the RV, Jones added.

Police called for Martin to come out, but he refused. Members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT) arrived on the scene around 5:20 p.m. in an armored vehicle, as Martin has a lengthy criminal history, including weapons charges, Jones said.

A search warrant was obtained around 6:20 p.m., and a few minutes later, CERT members deployed a chemical powder irritant into one of the windows to get Martin to surrender, the lieutenant said.

Two minutes later, Martin came out and was taken into custody. He was unhurt, and was taken to the Deschutes County Jail on charges of first-degree burglary, felony attempt to elude police, reckless driving, and heroin possession and delivery