Armed robbery suspect eludes manhunt in NE Bend

Police say man opened car door, threatened driver with weapon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – An extensive manhunt in northeast Bend Friday night failed to find a man who officers said opened a driver’s passenger door, threatened her with a weapon and robbed her.

Police responded at 8:35 p.m. to the area of Northeast Fifth Street and Webster Avenue on a reported armed robbery, Lt. Clint Burleigh said.

Initial reports indicated someone had shown a weapon and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the victim.

An investigation determined a 46-year-old Bend woman was driving in an area she was unfamiliar with and stopped to find her way back to a home she was staying at, Burleigh said.

That’s when the man opened the passenger-side door of the car and threatened her with a weapon. “After a very short interaction, the suspect fled with undisclosed property from the victim,” Burleigh said in a news release.

Officers responded to the area to search for the suspect, described as an adult male 5-foot-8 to 5-10, wearing dark clothing.

The search lasted for more than an hour and included Officer Kevin Uballez and his K-9 partner Kim. Several Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies also helped in the search and investigation.

After searching a substantial area around the initial scene, Burleigh said, officers and deputies cleared the scene without locating the suspect.

Burleigh said the type of weapon and other specifics are not being released at this time, due to the ongoing investigation.